MINISTER FOR WOMEN

Gender Pay Gap

David Stewart: To ask the Minister for Women what measures have been taken to address the pay gap between men and women; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: The Government are taking action to tackle the complex factors behind the pay gap, including promoting voluntary pay reviews and good practice on equal pay. We have set a target for pay reviews and are working in partnership with businesses and trade unions, the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) and Opportunity Now towards ensuring that 35 per cent. of large companies have done pay reviews by 2006. We provided the EOC with £100,000 to produce a toolkit to help employers conduct pay reviews and provided trade unions with additional funding to train over 400 representatives in equal pay issues. The Government have committed all civil service Departments and agencies to review their pay systems and produce action plans to close any equal pay gaps, 83 action plans have been submitted, representing 98 per cent. of the civil service. We are also taking steps to widen women's opportunities in the labour market. The Employment Act 2002 introduced measures to help parents maintain links with the world of work and better balance their work and home lives. These will help women return to the labour market and have a positive impact on the pay gap. The Act also introduced an equal pay questionnaire that will make it easier to tackle pay discrimination in the workplace.

People Trafficking

Linda Perham: To ask the Minister for Women what assessment she has made of progress in tackling the illegal trafficking of women.

Beverley Hughes: I have been asked to reply.
	We have set out a comprehensive approach to tackle trafficking in women and other forms of organised crime in the "White Paper Secure Borders, Safe Haven" published in 2002. The United Kingdom was one of the first countries to sign the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organised Crime, and its Optional Protocol to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children. The Government also supports action to combat trafficking, in both European Union and international fora and has supported information campaigns aimed at alerting women to the risks involved in such illegal immigration.
	The Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 introduced a new offence of trafficking for the purpose of controlling prostitution with a maximum penalty of 14 years, and comprehensive offences covering trafficking into, out of and within the UK for purposes of sexual exploitation are included in the Sexual Offences Bill.
	The Government have also recently published a trafficking toolkit, which will be a best practice guide for immigration officers, police and others potentially dealing with trafficking. A pilot scheme to support victims of trafficking to help them give evidence against their exploiters has been running since March 2003.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Battalion Disbandments

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland who has ultimate authority on the disbandment of a battalion of a regiment within the Army.

Adam Ingram: I have been asked to reply.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence has ultimate authority on the disbandment of a battalion of a regiment within the Army.

CABINET OFFICE

Civil Contingencies

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what role the EU will play in civil contingencies planning.

Douglas Alexander: The EU is taking a leading role in facilitating multilateral emergency planning. Through the Committee for the Action Programme and for the Mechanism in the field of Civil Protection, the EU is establishing a Community mechanism to facilitate reinforced co-operation in civil protection assistance interventions.
	While the UK continues to retain national responsibility for its own contingency planning, there may be cases where the resources of one nation are unable to cope with the scale of a particular incident.
	In such exceptional circumstances we would expect the full co-operation of the member states and institutions of the European Union, including the Health and Safety Committee, in containing and resolving the situation. To this end the European Union's civil protection Monitoring and Information Centre would facilitate and co-ordinate any request for assistance from Member States.

Asbestos

Vincent Cable: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much has been spent by his Department and its agencies on (a) asbestos surveys and (b) the management and removal of asbestos since 1 January 2001; and what budget is available to (i) commission asbestos surveys and (ii) manage and remove asbestos from buildings in (A) 2003 and (B) 2004.

Douglas Alexander: The Cabinet Office has undertaken asbestos surveys for the London and Basingstoke Estate, the GCDA buildings, HMSO (Norwich), Emergency Planning College (York), the COI and the CMPS Residential Training Centre (Sunningdale). This has identified risk areas and how this can best be managed.
	The costs incurred since 2001 are as follows:
	London Estate
	No data on the costs of asbestos surveys and work pre-April 2002 are available, with the exception of the refurbishment project in Admiralty House and 22–26 Whitehall, where the cost of identifying and removing asbestos was £291,000. Expenditure in the management and removal of asbestos on the London Estate since April 2002 is £9,000.
	Basingstoke Estate
	The control of asbestos is the responsibility of the building's landlord. Some low risk asbestos has been found and removed but no costs were incurred.
	GCDA
	No asbestos identified and no costs incurred.
	HMSO (Norwich)
	The control of asbestos is the responsibility of the building's landlord. No risk has been identified and no costs were incurred.
	Emergency Planning College (York)
	No expenditure incurred in 2001 and 2002.
	CMPS Residential Training Centre (Sunningdale)
	Since 1 January 2001, £511 has been spent on asbestos surveys and £6,000 on asbestos removal (the latter amount was paid in 2003).
	COI
	No expenditure was incurred in 2001 and 2002.
	The budgets available in 2003 and 2004 are as follows:
	London Estate
	The Cabinet Office's FM provider, as part of their fixed annual fee, maintains all asbestos surveys. No specific budget has been identified for the removal of asbestos, as there are no high-risk areas unless areas are disturbed due to building works. Costs of required measures will be identified and incorporated into any budgeted project costs at the time of the works.
	Basingstoke Estate
	No further risks have been identified and therefore no specific budget allocated.
	GCDA and HMSO (Norwich)
	No risk identified; therefore, no specific budget allocated.
	Emergency Planning College (York)
	The budget for 2003 for surveys is £5,725; for the management and removal it is £18,500. All of this work has been completed. The budget for 2004 for management and removal is £10,500.
	CMPS Residential Training Centre (Sunningdale)
	In May 2002 the Cabinet Office commenced a PPP contract with Initial Style Conferences Ltd. (ISC) to manage Sunningdale Park. All risks and expenditure relating to asbestos is now the responsibility of ISC. COI
	As the asbestos previously identified was deemed as being of low risk, costs of its management and removal will be included as part of any future refurbishment works. No separate cost data are available.

Information Technology

John Pugh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what IT projects with a value in excess of £10,000 the Cabinet Office authorised in each of the last three financial years.

Douglas Alexander: I have today placed in the Libraries of the House a summary of IT projects with a value in excess of £10,000 that my Department authorised in the last three financial years.
	It has been compiled from centrally held records and those maintained by existing business units, but, due to changes in my Department over the last three years, will not capture all projects that were managed by units that no longer exist.
	The summary excludes any projects undertaken by the executive agencies of my Department (i.e. the Central Office of Information and the Government Car and Despatch Agency).

Information Technology

Howard Flight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many outsourced IT contracts have been signed by his Department in each year since 1997; how much each of these contracts is worth; with whom they are signed; how many have been renegotiated; how many are still in place; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: My Department has signed 21 outsourced IT contracts since 1 April 1997. 20 of these contracts were awarded to the suppliers listed below for the delivery of services in connection with the Government Gateway. Of these, 9 have been renegotiated and 14 are currently in place. The estimated total value of these contracts is just over £117 million.
	BCC Chambersign
	BT Syntegra
	Cable & Wireless
	CGEY
	Chatmoderators
	Clark, McKay & Walpole
	Domain Technologies
	EDS (Initially Loudcloud)
	EduServ
	EMC Computer Systems (UK) Ltd
	Equifax
	ITNet
	Microsoft Corporation
	National Computing Centre
	Sapient Limited
	SchlumbergerSema
	Securicor
	Team Netsol
	Vizuri
	Westminster Digital.
	A further contract for the provision of my Department's internal office systems and ancillary services was awarded to Compaq Computer Limited (now HP Ltd.) in January 2000 and runs for five years, with the option to extend for a further two years. This was the renewal of an existing outsourced contract. The estimated expenditure on the core services over five years is in the region of £15 million.

Secondments

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the Cabinet Office's policy is on employing secondees from the private sector; how many secondees from the (a) private and (b) public sector the Cabinet Office were employed in each year since 1997; from which companies and organisations they were seconded; at what level they were employed; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The Government are committed to developing a modern, flexible, outward-focused civil service that works in partnership with all sectors of society. Interchange is a key tool in meeting that commitment. Secondments are encouraged as part of the interchange programme, which promotes the exchange of people and good practice between the civil service and other organisations. Before an interchange can occur all parties must be satisfied that no conflict of interest arises. In all cases agreement is reached with the parent organisation on the salary reimbursed by the Cabinet Office to ensure it falls in the civil service pay range appropriate to the post.
	There are no records available prior to April 1999. The following table gives the number of secondees within the Cabinet Office by Pay Band within each year from 1999–2000. The figures for secondees from the private and public sectors are aggregated. Separate figures are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate costs.
	
		
			  Level Number of secondees in post 
		
		
			 1999–2000 SCS 5 
			  Band A(1) 22 
			  Band B2(2) 6 
			  Band B1(3) 1 
			  Total 34 
			 2000–2001 SCS 6 
			  Band A 33 
			  Band B2 12 
			  Band B1 1 
			  Total 52 
			 2001–2002 SCS 9 
			  Band A 52 
			  Band B2 19 
			  Total 80 
			 2002–2003 SCS 11 
			  Band A 44 
			  Band B2 10 
			  Total 65 
			 2003–2004 SCS 15 
			 (to date) Band A 20 
			  Band B2 8 
			  Total 43 
		
	
	(1) Combined grades 6 and 7.
	(2) Combined grades Senior Executive Officer (SEO) and Higher Executive Officer (HEO).
	(3) Equivalent to Executive Officer.
	The following is a list of the companies and organisations from which the above were seconded:
	Accenture
	Addenbrooke's NHS Trust
	Adult Learning Inspectorate
	Age Concern
	Arthur Andersen
	Audit Commission
	Australian Civil Service
	Barking and Dagenham, London Borough
	Bass Leisure Retail
	Bates, Wells and Braithewaite
	Boston Consulting Group
	British Telecom
	BSkyB
	BUPA
	Camden, London Borough
	Canadian Government
	Commission for Racial Equality
	Deloitte and Touche
	Energis
	Energy Saving Trust
	Environment Agency
	Environmental Resource Management Ltd.
	European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
	Financial Times
	Ford Motor Company
	French Civil Service
	GlaxoSmithKline
	Greater London Authority
	Guy's and St. Thomas's Hospital Trust
	Hay Management Consultants
	Hertfordshire Constabulary
	Hewlett Packard
	House of Commons
	IBM UK Ltd.
	ICI
	Imperial College
	Improvement and Development Agency
	Institute for Public Policy Research
	Institute of Education
	Kids' Club Network
	King's Fund
	KPMG
	Local Government Association
	Logica
	London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
	Marks and Spencer
	Metropolitan Police
	Microsoft Ltd.
	National Children's Bureau
	National Consumer Council
	National Council for Voluntary Organisations
	National Criminal Intelligence Service
	New Opportunities Fund
	New Policy Institute
	NHS Information Authority
	NHS Purchase and Supply Agency
	North Hertfordshire District Council
	Office of Public Management
	Ofsted
	Oracle Corporation UK Ltd.
	Oxera Consulting Ltd.
	Poole Hospital NHS Trust
	PricewaterhouseCoopers
	Qualifications and Curriculum Authority
	Royal Bank of Scotland
	Sandwell Metropolitan Council
	Singapore Government
	Skillmind Consultancy
	Social Market Foundation
	South Bank University
	Stockport Corporation
	Sun Microsystems
	Surrey County Council
	Tarmac
	Three
	Unilever
	University of Bristol
	University of Edinburgh
	University of Portsmouth
	Warwick Business School
	Welsh Development Agency
	Westminster University
	Worksystems Inc.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Crown Prosecution Service

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Solicitor-General what targets were set by the CPS in 2002–03 to deal with prosecution cases in a timely and efficient manner in partnership with other agencies; and what the performance results are against these targets.

Harriet Harman: In 2002–03, the Crown Prosecution Service set two targets in order to deal with prosecution cases in a timely and efficient manner in partnership with other agencies.
	The first target was to send 80 per cent. of committal papers to the defence within 14 days (10 days in custody cases) of receipt from the police of a full file for committal certified as trial ready. The target was achieved in 86.7 per cent. of cases.
	The second target was to deliver 84 per cent. of briefs to counsel within 14 days of committal or transfer (21 days in non-standard fee cases). The target was achieved in 86.6 per cent. of cases.

Domestic Violence

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Solicitor-General what steps the CPS has taken to contribute to the Government's strategy to tackle domestic violence.

Harriet Harman: The CPS handles about 13,000 cases of domestic violence each year. The revised policy on prosecution of cases of domestic violence launched in November 2001 focuses on the safety of the victim and children and on conducting cases, wherever possible, on the basis of evidence other than that of the victim. The work done by the CPS at operational level is complemented by the strategic contribution of the network of CPS Domestic Violence Co-ordinators across England and Wales who share information and good practice and issue guidance to prosecutors to help them identify and address difficult and sensitive issues that are regularly raised in domestic violence cases.
	The CPS also contributes to the Government's strategy by consulting and working closely at a local level with criminal justice partners and the voluntary sector by participating in local domestic violence fora. At national level the CPS Policy lead on domestic violence attends the Home Office Virtual Unit and made a significant input into the Government White Papers, "Justice for All" and "Safety and Justice", addressing issues of prevention, protection and support.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development if he will make a statement on the security situation in Afghanistan and its effect on humanitarian and reconstruction work.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The security situation in Afghanistan continues to be a major concern of the population, the Afghan government and the international community. In large areas of the south the aid community remains extremely constrained in providing humanitarian and development assistance because of the threats from a lack of reliable security.
	Attacks have been primarily concentrated in the south of the country. However, there have been other incidents elsewhere in the country, including incidents related to clashes between contending power holders. NGOs and the UN continue to work across the whole of Afghanistan, although their freedom of movement is constrained in some areas.
	To help to counter the increasing insecurity, four international joint civil-military provincial reconstruction teams (PRTs) have been established in Mazar-e Sharif, Bamiyan, Kunduz and Gardez with four more planned to be operational before the end of this year in Jalalabad, Kandahar, Herat and Charikar. The PRTs are designed to bring stability to the regions and facilitate the reconstruction effort of the Afghan Administration, UN and NGOs

Afghanistan

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development how much of the money pledged the Government of Afghanistan has received; and how much money his Department has given to Afghanistan.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: International donors meeting in Tokyo 21 to 22 January 2002 pledged more than US$1.8 billion to rebuild Afghanistan in 2002 which has been disbursed, and US$4.5 billion over five years.
	DFID have given £131million to Afghanistan since November 2001. The joint DFID, MOD and FCO Global Conflict Prevention Pool has also given £16 million.

Afghanistan

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development if he will make a statement on attacks on non-governmental organisations workers in Afghanistan.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: Aid workers and relief organisations can be seen as soft targets by those seeking to undermine efforts to rebuild and bring stability.
	It is with much regret that in the last month two workers of the Afghan Red Crescent Society, a Mercy Corps driver and four members of the Danish Committee to Aid Afghan Refugees have been killed in Afghanistan.
	I greatly admire the way in which, despite the difficult conditions under the present security situation, non-governmental organisations are continuing to provide assistance to the poorest and most vulnerable Afghans.

Aid Expenditure

Angus Robertson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development how much aid his Department has (a) unilaterally and (b) multilaterally provided to (i) Afghanistan, (ii) Algeria, (iii) Angola, (iv) Bangladesh, (v) Botswana, (vi) Ghana, (vii) Jamaica, (viii) Kazakhstan, (ix) Kenya, (x) Nigeria, (xi) Pakistan, (xii) Sri Lanka, (xiii) Syria, (xiv) Tanzania, (xv) Tunisia, (xvi) United Arab Emirates and (xvii) the Ukraine per annum since 1997 through (A) ECHO, (B) the UN, (C) the World Bank and (D) the IMF; how much of this aid was delivered in kind; how much of this aid was provided as monetary investment for specific projects; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: Information in the form requested is not readily available but I have placed in the Libraries of the House two tables under the title "DFID Bilateral and Multilateral Aid to Countries referred to in Parliamentary Question UIN 129977". These show DFID bilateral expenditure to the countries listed broken down by form of aid, and the imputed UK share of multilateral assistance to these countries by main channel. The bilateral data are in financial (April-March) years and the multilateral in calendar years. The latest year is shown in each case.Note also that the imputed multilateral data are based on OECD statistics and are an estimate for the UK effort—i.e. wider than DFID.
	Additional information on the bilateral expenditure is available in DFID's annual publication Statistics on International Development, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House. No further information is available on multilateral expenditure.

Arms Control

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what steps have been taken by the Department to assist developing countries in increasing security for legal stockpiles of armaments.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The UK recognises that improving stockpile security is a key component of efforts to prevent the proliferation of illegal armaments. The UK provides limited assistance to countries on security for legally held stockpiles of small arms. Through the Global Conflict Prevention Pool Small Arms Strategy, the UK provides support to the work of UNDP's South Eastern Europe Small Arms Clearing House, which has provided training and assistance to states in that region on stockpile security. In Sierra Leone, the UK provided training to the military and security forces on weapons management and security systems as part of a wider package of support for restructuring the military forces after the conflict.
	The UK was a key contributor to the development of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Best Practice Guidelines on Stockpile Management, published earlier this year, and is currently working with the OSCE to devise ways to support the operationalisation of these Guidelines.
	DFID, the FCO and the MOD are also looking at ways to increase provision of technical guidance and assistance in this area within the context of security sector reform programmes.

Arms Control

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development pursuant to his answer of 17 June, Official Report, column 122W, on the gun trade, what assessment he has made of the impact of export control legislation on the proliferation of small arms in developing countries; and whether the Government raised the issue of export control legislation and the proliferation of small arms at the UN Biennial Meeting of States in July.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The UK believes that stronger export control legislation is an important way of tackling the proliferation of small arms in developing countries, and is committed to working with our international partners to strengthen existing legislation at the national, regional and international levels. However, legislation also requires effective and sustained enforcement, and the UK government provides support to ensure effective implementation and enforcement of that legislation.
	The UK Government made export control legislation one of its priorities for the UN Biennial Meeting of States, and made a strong statement on the need to strengthen and enforce export controls during the plenary session. The UK also co-sponsored a side meeting for interested states to consider ways of achieving this. This meeting established a considerable degree of support, particularly for regional processes as an interim stage to securing greater international agreement. The UK is now discussing options for taking this process forward with possible co-partners, including UK support for regional processes, and remains committed to working with our partners internationally to secure stronger export controls on transfers of small arms.

Arms Control

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what steps the Department has taken to help developing countries use and develop their air traffic control infrastructures to reduce the number of illicit arms shipments arriving in their countries.

Hilary Benn: The UK currently focuses its assistance on strengthening policing, customs and border control in developing countries as a means of helping them to reduce the number of illicit arms shipments arriving in their countries. This work is funded under the Global Conflict Pool Small Arms Strategy. The Pool has not provided any direct assistance to developing countries to develop their air traffic control infrastructure.

Burma

Vera Baird: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development whether UK development aid to Burma is made conditional upon specific policies or course of conduct by the Burmese Government.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: UK aid for the Burmese poor addresses priority humanitarian and other critical needs, including prevention of HIV/AIDS. UK aid is provided within the European Union (EU) Common Position on Burma, which states that ". . . Non humanitarian aid or development programmes shall be suspended . . ." except those "projects and programmes which should be, as far as possible, defined in consultation with democratic groups, including the National League for Democracy, and run with their involvement:
	in support of human rights and democracy,
	in support of poverty alleviation and, in particular, of the provision of basic needs for the poorest section of the population, in the context of decentralised cooperation through local civilian authorities and non-governmental organisations,
	in support of health and basic education through non-governmental organisations."
	We require partners to institute suitable mechanisms to ensure that UK aid is used in a transparent and accountable manner. Monitoring and evaluation systems have to be set up by recipients of UK aid, and such systems prevent any part of it going to the regime.

Burma

Vera Baird: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what the (a) extent and (b) nature is of Government development aid to Burma; and what plans there are to change the amount and nature of aid.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: In the current financial year 2003–04, UK aid for poor Burmese people is likely to be about £4 million, addressing needs in the areas of health, HIV/AIDS and support to refugees. Options for future aid are currently being assessed through the preparation of a new country plan.

Burma

Vera Baird: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what proportion of UK development aid to Burma is channelled through the Burmese (a) Government and (b) Government agencies.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: UK aid for poor Burmese people is channelled through United Nations (UN) agencies and international and local non-governmental organisations. In 2003, some of the funding for the UN-led programme to tackle HIV/AIDS, to which the UK is the largest contributor, will be spent on activities delivered through the National AIDS Programme. It is not yet possible to say what proportion of UK aid will be used in this way. The UN is required to monitor these expenditures rigorously to ensure that they are used for the intended purposes in a transparent and accountable manner.

Burundi

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the numbers of people internally displaced in Burundi; and what measures are in place to meet their humanitarian needs.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The current estimate of the number of internally displaced persons as of August this year is just over 280,000 plus up to an additional 100,000 temporarily displaced at any time. They are an important focal point for the humanitarian relief effort in the country. Although this is effective where there is access, there is concern about the welfare of communities who cannot be reached.
	The UK's humanitarian support to Burundi includes a £400,000 grant to Medecins Sans Frontieres for emergency health interventions, which benefits displaced persons in Bujumbura by increasing access to basic health and to emergency surgical services. We envisage a further £500,000 contribution to the UN Consolidated Appeal in the near future. The EU are providing, through its European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO), up to £15 million for humanitarian support activities in Burundi, this includes humanitarian support to internally displaced people.
	We continue to monitor the humanitarian situation and will continue to respond to requests for support in line with perceived humanitarian priorities.

Cameroon

Don Foster: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development pursuant to the answer of 14 July 2003, Official Report, column 9W, on poverty reduction strategies, what pressure his Department applied for the inclusion of water, sanitation and hygiene in the Cameroon Poverty Reduction Strategy Plan published on 12 August; and whether the Poverty Reduction Strategy Plan provides sufficient resources to meet (a) the water and (b) the sanitation millennium development targets in Cameroon.

Hilary Benn: Cameroon's Poverty Reduction Strategy includes objectives of improved access to drinking water and sanitation under one of the seven Strategic Areas. DFID participated in discussions of the draft strategy with the Government of Cameroon and other donors. Our focus was on improved governance, monitoring of PRS implementation, and forestry sector reform, which is the sector we are concentrating on and where we feel we can make most difference. We would expect adequacy of the Strategy with respect to all the Millennium Development Goals to become clearer through the monitoring process, which the government of Cameroon and donors are working to put in place.

Congo

Oona King: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what actions his Department is taking to support the transitional national government in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Hilary Benn: Since the installation of the Transitional National Government in the Democratic Republic of Congo in July DFID has started to engage actively with it, and with other donors, aimed at establishing a significant programme of support to the DRC. This involves some initial Quick Impact Projects in the fields of health and education to an estimated value of £19 million. In addition, a DFID mission visited Kinshasa in early September to identify activities in support of the five Transitional Institutions of the TNG. We are also looking at working with partners, especially the Government of Belgium, in Security Sector Reform. The UK is also a major contributor to the World Bank's regional Great Lakes programme for DDR which will include programmes in the DRC.

Consultancy Contracts

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development how many consultancies were commissioned by the Department in the last two years for which figures are available; and what the cost of those contracts was.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID central Procurement Department commissioned consultancy contracts as follows:
	
		
			  Number of contracts £ million 
		
		
			 2001–02 1.082 282 
			 2002–03 833 262 
		
	
	In addition, DFID overseas departments commissioned lower value contracts worth a total of £20 million in 2001–02 and £25 million in 2002–03.

Departmental Budget

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what percentage of the Department's 2002–03 budget is spent on providing help to those without adequate access to water, food and shelter.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The central focus of the Government's policy on international development is a commitment to the internationally agreed target to halve the proportion of people living in extreme poverty by 2015, together with associated targets including basic health care provision and universal access to primary education. We believe that reducing poverty is the best way of empowering people to take control of their own lives and gain access to basic requirements such as food, shelter and water.
	The Monterrey Consensus, agreed at the UN Financing for Development conference in Monterrey in 2002, recognised the crucial role played by developing countries' own poverty reduction strategies. Experience has shown that the reform agendas drawn up locally are more successful than those imposed from outside. More effective use of aid means moving away from donors allocating funding to selected sectors and donor-led projects to providing support that is consistent with poverty reduction strategies drawn up by the developing countries themselves. It is for this reason that we do not plan our resources on the basis of different sectors. Rather, we allocate funds to regions and countries and allow country programmes to determine priorities according to national plans.
	It is not therefore possible to provide an exact figure for the percentage of the Department's overall budget spent on particular sectors. Over half of the Department's overall budget is allocated to expenditure through multilateral organisations and other categories, such as direct budget support and humanitarian aid, where it is difficult to attribute precisely spending according to sectors.
	We are committed to the Millennium Development Goal targets on water and sanitation as well as to the adoption of national policies and strategies for integrated water resources management in all developing countries by 2005. Improvements to water management are central to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. DFID expenditure on water and sanitation in 2001–002 was £33.8 million. We do not yet have final figures for 2002–03.
	The United Nations agency responsible for shelter is UN-Habitat. The UK contribution is around £1 million a year (which in 2002–03 amounted to 27 per cent. of their core funding). We do not have figures on bilateral spending on shelter.
	The causes of hunger are many and include poverty, ill health, exclusion, conflict and natural disasters. Poverty is, however, the principal cause. The concept of 'food security' focuses on people's ability to obtain food, rather than simply on food production, which is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for tackling hunger. Policies to tackle food insecurity need to be based on a clear understanding of who is hungry and why. The design of such policies needs to take into account people's vulnerability, the impact of shocks and the effects of trade policies.
	DFID spent an average of around £275 million a year in the period 1998–99–2000–01 on Sustainable Livelihoods (including Agriculture and Food Security). Final figures are not yet available for 2002–03. This does not include short-term emergency food aid.
	DFID's total bilateral spend in 2001–02 was £1,506 million, of which £964 million can be allocated by sector (this does not include budget support or humanitarian assistance).
	It should be noted that all these figures are likely to understate the amounts actually spent in these sectors for the reasons given above and because, in the past, DFID only attributed expenditure to one sector even when an activity contributed to more than one sector.

Ethiopia

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what the Department's policy is on the Ethiopian Government's programme of national resettlement in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and People's Region; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The Government of Ethiopia are undertaking a programme of voluntary resettlement. We recognise that if properly managed, such programmes can have a role to play as part of a wider set of actions to address food insecurity. However, badly managed resettlement can have a negative impact if people are moved into inappropriate areas or given insufficient support or services.
	There clearly have been some cases of inappropriate resettlement in Southern Nations, Nationalities and People's Region. Our overall policy has been to engage with the federal and regional Government to promote a more careful and measured approach. In addition, we have remained ready to respond to humanitarian situations that might develop. Our Ethiopia office will continue to monitor the situation carefully.

Export Control Act

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development pursuant to his answer of 18 June 2003, Official Report, column 241W, on the Export Control Act 2002, whether the Department discussed the impact of the orders on developing countries with (a) aid agencies and (b) NGOs working in developing countries.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: No. DFID officials did discuss the submissions made by aid agencies and NGOs working in developing countries to HMG's consultation on the draft secondary legislation of the Export Control Act with relevant DTI officials.

Food Expenditure

David Lidington: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development how much was spent on food by his Department and by each of the agencies for which it is responsible in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03; what proportion of that food by value was produced in the United Kingdom; what guidance he has issued to encourage the procurement of home-produced food; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID's headquarters catering services purchased food costing £121,000 in 20012–02 (only part-year figures are available, dating from the start of the current contract) and £224,000 in 2002–03. The caterers estimate that around 60 per cent. was produced in the UK. We have agreed an action plan with them to implement the Government's policy for sustainable food procurement.

Great Lakes Region

Oona King: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development when his Department will publish a joint strategy paper on the Great Lakes Region.

Hilary Benn: DFID and FCO plan to publish their Joint Strategy Paper on the Great Lakes within the next month.

Iraq

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development pursuant to his answer of 18 June 2003, Official Report, column 241W, on Iraq, whether water companies in the UK have offered assistance in Iraq.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: In response to requests from NGOs, one UK water company has provided assistance, on a not-for-profit basis, to drinking water supply and sanitation services in Iraq. The company has also provided DFID with information on its experience in the water sector in Iraq, and has offered further not-for-profit support to NGOs, the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) and the Baghdad Water Authority in rehabilitating water infrastructure. This offer has been forwarded to the Iraqi Ministry of Public Works and the CPA.

Iraq

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development pursuant to his answer of 9 June 2003, Official Report, column 614W, whether the Department has made an assessment of (a) whether there are sufficient numbers of trained public health laboratory staff in Iraq and (b) whether British military personnel can offer assistance in this area.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: No overall assessment of public health laboratory staff in Iraq has taken place since the conflict this year. Information from agencies working the health sector in Iraq, such as the World Health Organisation, suggests that trained Iraqi staff are available, but their skills need to be updated in line with current professional knowledge.
	UK forces have a very small number of appropriately trained personnel in theatre who could, in principle, offer assistance in the training of Iraqi public health laboratory staff, subject to other priorities.

Iraq

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development pursuant to his answer of 17 June 2003, Official Report, column 124W, on Iraq, if he will also make a detailed study of the resources needed to re-establish a working civil service in Iraq.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The Coalition Provisional Authority is assessing the resources required to re-establish the Iraqi civil service. Institutional strengthening requirements are also expected to be addressed in the social and economic needs assessments now being undertaken by the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and United Nations. DFID will consider whether any further detailed study is required after these bodies have reported their findings.

Iraq

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development pursuant to his answer of 17 June 2003, Official Report, column 124W, on Iraq, if he will take steps to ensure that short term reforms to Iraq's food network before the restoration of normal market conditions are free of political interference.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID's priority in the short term is to minimise any disruption to food supplies, particularly to poor and vulnerable people, resulting from the winding-up of the Oil for Food Programme in Iraq. Over the medium term, our policy is to replace the food distribution system by a monetary benefit which, like the current food distribution system, would initially be universal and standardised.

Iraq

Lady Hermon: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what support has been given by his Department to the Marsh Arabs of Iraq since the conclusion of hostilities in that country; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID has been providing support for health care and sanitation for Iraqi Marsh Arabs and refugees in Iran through the NGO AMAR (£2.45 million over the last four years). We are in the process of considering a further year's support for AMAR. DFID has also granted £522,000 to the International Medical Corps for its work in Iraq, which includes providing clean and sustainable water supplies in Marsh Arab areas.
	Social and economic needs assessments being undertaken by the World Bank, IMF and United Nations are expected to identify future requirements in the Marsh Arab areas. The Coalition Provisional Authority and the UN Environment Programme are also planning to assess environmental issues in Iraq, including in the southern marshlands. Future DFID support will be informed by outcome of these assessments.

Iraq

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what estimate he has made of the number of (a) boys and (b) girls returning to school in Iraq.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: It is not possible to provide accurate estimates of numbers of children returning to school in Iraq because the administrative systems in the country do not at present have the capacity to collect such information. The Coalition Provisional Authority has reported that almost all Iraq's schools were open by June 2003. UNICEF, which assisted in the running of the summer examinations, has reported that end of year exams were taken by approximately 5.5 million children in June and July 2003.

Iraq

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development whether students in Iraq will be able to sit examinations in this academic year.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: UNICEF reports that end of year exams were taken by approximately 5.5 million children in Iraq in June and July this year. We fully expect Iraqi students to be able to sit examinations in the forthcoming academic year.

Iraq

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what assessment he has made of the effect of the recent conflict in Iraq upon aid programmes for other developing countries.

Hilary Benn: As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development and I set out in our letter of 22 May to Members of both Houses, we will not divert funding to Iraq from existing DFID programmes such as emergency assistance in Southern Africa, Afghanistan or the West Bank and Gaza, or programmes tackling poverty elsewhere.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what amounts have been spent in Iraq since 1 May on (a) re-establishing water supplies, (b) re-connecting electricity supplies and (c) assisting in supporting existing Iraqi hospitals and medical centres; and if the Department will include a breakdown of itemised expenditure in each weekly edition of its Iraq Update Report.

Hilary Benn: Most of DFID's expenditure on Iraq is channelled through the United Nations, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and non-governmental organisations, each of which report to DFID on their expenditure and activities separately and at different times. It would not therefore be possible, other than at disproportionate cost to DFID and to the agencies concerned, to provide details of our total spending in Iraq, sector by sector, at any particular point of time.
	DFID has so far committed £198 million to humanitarian and reconstruction assistance in Iraq. This includes £15.8 million to water and sanitation, £12.2 million to power and fuel, and £8.5 million to health and nutrition. A further £35 million has been allocated to humanitarian agencies without being earmarked to specific sectors, a proportion of which is being spent in the water, power and health sectors according to priorities identified on the ground. DFID has also recently agreed a £20 million project to help restore essential infrastructure in southern Iraq, which is expected to improve service delivery of power, water and fuel to over 5 million people.

Iraq

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what recent assessment has been made of the availability of medical supplies in Iraq.

Hilary Benn: Recent assessments by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Iraqi Ministry of Health indicate that there are no major shortages of essential medical supplies in Iraq. There are, however, still reported shortages of specialist supplies such as laboratory reagents, TB antibiotics, oxygen and drugs for some chronic diseases. A number of agencies, including WHO, have helped refurbish drug warehouses in Baghdad, and the transport of drugs to the regions.

Iraq

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what recent assessment has been made of the supply of (a) clean water, (b) sanitation and (c) electricity throughout Iraq.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: Recent assessments suggest that the Baghdad water system is working at approximately 80 per cent. of its pre-war capacity, and that 75 per cent. of the population of Baghdad has access to sewage networks. The supply of clean water and access to sanitation in other areas is difficult to assess accurately. UNICEF and the General Corporation for Water Supply are compiling a database on progress in the water and sanitation sector in order to provide better assessments of the current level of services.
	Electricity supply throughout Iraq has improved over the last month. On 8 September, power generation had reached 3550 megawatts, approximately 81 per cent. of the pre-war level of 4400 megawatts. The Coalition Provisional Administration has set a target for reaching this pre-war level by the end of September. Work is also taking place to restore the transmission grid, which has suffered particularly badly from looting and sabotage. This will allow the additional power to be used effectively throughout the country to improve the reliability of service and to provide additional power to the less well served areas. In July and August Baghdad had power on a 3 hours on and 3 hours off basis while Basrah had up to 20 hours per day.

Iraq

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what measures are in place to restore and maintain security in Iraq to enable the provision of humanitarian aid.

Hilary Benn: The provision of stability and security in Iraq is the highest priority for the Coalition. A secure environment is essential if political and economic reconstruction is to succeed, and humanitarian assistance provided. The Coalition is making considerable efforts to develop Iraq's own security institutions as quickly as possible, as well as deploying, additional forces to Iraq as announced by my RHF the Secretary of State for Defence on 8 September.

Iraq

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what assessment has been made of the level of food shortages in Iraq.

Hilary Benn: The food security situation in Iraq is under constant review by the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Iraqi Ministry of Trade. Food stocks are not expected to run out.

Iraq

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what recent discussions the Department has had regarding the role of the UN in Iraq.

Hilary Benn: DFID is in regular contact with the UN, both in New York and in-country, about its operations in Iraq and I met Kevin Kennedy, the head of the UN mission in Iraq, during my recent trip to Baghdad. The UN is still assessing the effect on its operations of the bombing of its Baghdad office and the subsequent temporary reduction in the number of international staff in Iraq. The UN has said that it intends to continue to operate in Iraq and that its key humanitarian programmes, including the Public Distribution System for food, will remain operating under the management of Iraqi staff.
	A current priority for the UN is to complete assessments of its own security provisions and put in place additional appropriate security measures. DFID has offered to help support increased safety and security measures for the UN operations in Iraq.
	DFID is also involved in discussions with other Government Departments on the role of the UN in Iraq's political development.

Iraq

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what assistance his Department is giving to the (a) World Bank, (b) IMF and (c) UN in preparing the report on the social and economic needs in Iraq; and when he expects the report to be completed.

Hilary Benn: DFID has not provided financial assistance to the IFIs or the UN to prepare their report on the social and economic needs of Iraq.
	DFID has however committed £3.15 million to the IMF to provide technical assistance to Iraqi Ministries and £113 million to UN agencies for humanitarian and reconstruction activities.
	We expect the WB/IMF/UN report to be published on 2 October.

Kosovo

Adam Price: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what humanitarian contribution the Department has made since 1999 to help children in Kosovo who lost their parents owing to the conflict there in 1999.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: Immediately after the end of the 1999 conflict, DFID disbursed £108 million as humanitarian assistance, covering food supplies, shelter, health care, mines clearance and support to small enterprises, and funding for international relief agencies working with refugees both in Kosovo and in neighbouring countries. This assistance included the provision of £4.5 million to UNICEF for support to schools. DFID also provided humanitarian support through its contributions to the EC Humanitarian Office.
	Since then DFID has collaborated with the Kosovo authorities and the World Bank to review social welfare policies, and is providing a £2 million grant to assist with social policy reform. This includes the provision of social assistance to families and children in need, and social services for the protection of children. DFID has also co-funded a major poverty assessment to assist the design and monitoring of social services and benefits. In parallel with this, DFID has provided support to the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) for the strengthening of systems for setting standards and quality assurance for children's services.

Liberia

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what measures are in place to improve the (a) sanitary conditions and (b) water supply in Liberia.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: During the peak of the conflict the NGOs that remained in Liberia managed to ensure a minimum level of water supply to the displaced in Monrovia, but sanitation became a major cause for concern. The current situation is that water supply and sanitation issues are being addressed in Monrovia by the UN, NGOs and the Red Cross with the help of DFID funding, but access to areas outside Monrovia and its environs are still hampered by security concerns.

Liberia

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development if he will make a statement on the security situation in Liberia and its impact on humanitarian relief.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: Security remains the major issue hampering humanitarian access in Liberia and the capacity of ECOMIL to ensure security outside of Monrovia is limited. Access to areas outside Monrovia is being hampered by militia groups and access to other major towns is sporadic.

Liberia

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the availability of (a) food, (b) shelter and (c) medicines for the people of Liberia.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: Food supply and nutritional issues are being addressed by the UN and NGOs. From 16 August until 5 September, the World Food Programme (WFP) has provided assistance to 419,177 beneficiaries with 2,994 metric tons of food. In addition, WFP distributed 337 metric tons of food to an estimated 62,130 people through special feeding programmes, approximately 50,000 of whom were fed under Action Contre la Faim's DFID-funded emergency food distribution.
	The Red Cross and the UN are addressing non-food items and shelter requirements, and a number of our partners on the ground are supplying medical equipment and drugs to Liberian health centres (Figures currently unavailable).
	To address all these needs, we have committed £4.7 million to support the humanitarian work of the UN, the International Committee of the Red Cross and NGOs. This in addition to the £2.9 million we have provided to international agencies and NGOs in Liberia previously this year.

Microsoft

Norman Lamb: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development how much was paid to Microsoft in licensing fees by his Department and its agencies in each of the last three years; and how much has been budgeted for (a) 2003–04 and (b) 2004–05.

Hilary Benn: DFID undertook a major upgrade of its systems in the period 2000–02 and the resulting licence fees paid to Microsoft takes account of this. The figures are:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 2000–01 223,451(4) 
			 2001–02 162,849 
			 2002–03 55,000 
		
	
	(4) includes ASSIST 2000 Upgrade Project licence fees
	Our budgets for future years (providing we continue with Microsoft) will be approximately £60,000 for both 2003/04 and 2004/05.

Middle East/North Africa

Nick Gibb: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development if he will make a statement on his assessment of the link between accountable regimes and economic growth in (a) the Middle East and (b) North Africa; and what action his Department is taking to promote good governance in the regions.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The Middle East and North Africa compares badly with other regions of similar incomes and characteristics in terms of public accountability and inclusiveness. A number of reports have been published recently which highlight the relationship between accountable governance and economic growth in the Middle East and North Africa. The 2002 "Arab Human Development Report" concluded that social and economic development was being hampered by deeply rooted shortcomings in the structures of governance in the region. More recently, a World Bank's report, "Better Governance in the Middle East and North Africa", noted that income growth per head averaged just 0.5 per cent. across the region in the period 1985–2000, and at the heart of this poor record was a noticeable "governance gap". Taken together, these reports provide a substantial body of evidence to support the view that improving accountable governance, strengthening political and economic freedoms, and enhancing public participation are prerequisites for lasting economic, social and human development in the region.
	Promoting better governance is a key feature of DFID's bilateral programme to the region: this is set out as a central theme of our soon-to-be-published Regional Assistance Plan. Examples include support to public administration and civil service reform in both Jordan and the Palestinian Territory. We are also working to help ensure that the European Commission's development programme takes proper account of the need to improve governance and respect for human rights, and reduce poverty, in partner countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

Parliamentary Questions

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development how many Questions directed to the Department remain unanswered.

Hilary Benn: According to our records there are 17 outstanding questions (not answered by their due date in the question book, which is two days from date of tabling) from before the Conference recess.
	Of these, 16 including this one, are due to be published on 6 October. The reply to the outstanding one will be published shortly.

Reproductive Health Services

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development pursuant to his reply of 16 July 2003, Official Report, column 332W, what percentage of the money spent on reproductive health services, is being spent on (a) HIV/AIDS programmes and (b) family planning; and in which countries.

Hilary Benn: The Department for International Development spent £31 million in 2002–03 on activities within the Sector-Wide Approaches (SWAPS) that had support for reproductive health services as one of their objectives (the reply of 16 July 2003, Official Report, column 332W refers).
	The breakdown is as follows:
	
		
			 Country Title Expenditure 2002–03 (£) 
		
		
			 Ghana Health Grant 3,500,000 
			 Malawi Health SWAP 163,126 
			 Mozambique Essential Medicines 4,700,000 
			 Tanzania Health Sector Programme 9,489,992 
			 Zambia Health SWAP 7,621,863 
			 Bangladesh SHAPLA(5) WB Time Slicing 5,000,000 
			 Cambodia Health Sector Support 226,835 
			 Total  30,701,816 
		
	
	(5) Support for Health and Population for the Less Advanced Programme: World Bank Time Slicing.
	DFID support for reproductive health is wide ranging. It covers HIV/AIDS programmes, prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections and maternal and adolescent health. Reproductive health also encompasses the services for family planning, contraception and childbearing that make an important contribution to increasing women's choice and opportunity and to preventing unplanned or unwanted pregnancy. Family planning services also provide an important opportunity to improve sexual health and in particular to increase women's access to methods that help prevent HIV infection. The £31 million expenditure for 2003–03 cannot therefore be apportioned between HIV/AIDS and Family Planning, as many reproductive health programmes and projects contribute to both objectives (for example through the provision of information on family planning and HIV/AIDS prevention or the provision of condoms).
	The figures above include only the DFID contributions to SWAPS. If our other expenditure on Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS (for example through multilateral organisations) were included the amounts would be considerably higher.

Russian Republics

Angus Robertson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development how much international aid was received directly by the Russian constituent republics of (a) Ingushetia and (b) North Ossetia-Alania in each year since 1997; how much of this was delivered in (i) money and (ii) kind; what the UK's share of aid was in each year; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: Since 1997, DFID has contributed over £15 million for humanitarian assistance to support refugees and internally displaced people in the North Caucasus (includes Chechnya, North Ossetia, Ingushetia and Dagestan). Our funding is channelled through selected international agencies such as the UN and the International Red Cross.
	For 2003–04, DFID has so far approved funds of £1.8 million for humanitarian assistance to support for both refugees and internally displaced people in the North Caucasus.
	Since 1997, the EC contribution to the North Caucasus has been euro 111 million.
	We do not have a breakdown of the total amount of international aid provided to Ingushetia and North Ossetia-Alania.

Russian Republics

Angus Robertson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development if he will list the major development programmes launched in (a) Ingushetia and (b) North Ossetia-Alania in each year since 1997; how long these programmes have run; what his Department's involvement has been in each of these programmes; and what assessment his Department has made of the impact of each programme.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The UK's development programme for Russia aims, through its work with Federal Government, to benefit all regions of the country. However we consider that the North Caucasus is a medium term emergency. The security environment doesn't lend itself to developmental programmes. Therefore, the UK's assistance is focused only on humanitarian programmes. The UN agencies and the ICRC do work with the Russian Authorities to try and build capacity in certain areas, which we support.

Russian Republics

Angus Robertson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the humanitarian situation in (a) North Ossetia-Alania, (b) Ingushetia, (c) the Ferghana Valley and (d) South Ossetia and their (i) direct and (ii) indirect sources; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The overall humanitarian situation in North Ossetia-Alania and Ingushetia remains acute. People affected by the instability in Chechnya are facing their fifth extremely difficult winter amid rising tensions in the region.
	Four years after the resumption of hostilities in the Republic of Chechnya, more than 80,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Chechnya still live in tents or unsuitable shelters in the neighbouring Republic of Ingushetia. In North Ossetia, there are 30,000 Georgian refugees living in poor conditions. In Chechnya, the situation is worse. According to a recent UN report, more than 100,000 of the about 800,000 people living there are still displaced from their homes and surviving indoor conditions.
	The UK travel restriction to the North Caucasus prevents DFID from making direct assessments of the humanitarian situation. DFID makes regular missions to Moscow and Georgia to meet with key international organisations and government officials who work in the area. Our humanitarian support to the North Caucasus is channelled through the UN, ICRC and international NGO's.
	DFID has made no independent assessment of the humanitarian situation in the Ferghana Valley. The Department's representatives in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, are in regular contact with the UN organisations active in the Valley as well as with the governments concerned.
	In South Ossetia the humanitarian situation remains acute. A de facto government is functioning. There is little rule of law. The area is economically dependent upon smuggled goods from Russia. Local Ossetians are migrating to North Ossetia due to economic hardship and lawlessness. The UN, Organisation for Security and Co-operation for Europe (OSCE), the EU is active in South Ossetia. The UN through its UNOCHA and (formerly the UNHCR) is responsible for humanitarian assessments and aid provision. The EC has participated in the Joint Control Commission (JCC) on South Ossetia since 1991. This quadripartite body (with Georgia, South Ossetia, North Ossetia and Russia) is conducted by the OSCE. The OSCE continues the search for a settlement. The EU provided in 2000 and 2001 Euro 1.045 million to the Georgia Border Guards, aimed at protecting the unarmed OSCE monitors at the border between Georgia and Chechnya. Most International Organisations formerly involved left as the security situation deteriorated.
	We are aware of the situation and we have made small contributions through the multilateral organisations and Small Grants Scheme.

Russian Republics

Angus Robertson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development if he will list the major development programmes launched in South Ossetia in each year since 1997; how long these programmes have run; what his Department's involvement has been in each of these programmes; and what assessment his Department has made of the impact of each programme.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The UK's development programme for Georgia aims to benefit all regions of the country. However the difficulties of working in unresolved conflict situations do not lend themselves to development programmes. The EU has provided through its annual allocations from the 1997 and 1999 budgets a total of Euro 7.5 million to stimulate the peace process between South Ossetia and the Georgian Government.

Russian Republics

Angus Robertson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what the total amount of international aid received directly by the Georgian autonomous region of South Ossetia was in each year since 1997; how much of this was delivered in (a) money and (b) kind; what the United Kingdom's share of aid was in each year; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: Since the cease-fire agreement concluded in 1992 to bring the fighting to an end, the legal situation over the status of South Ossetia remains grid locked between the Georgian Government and South Ossetia authorities and is unlikely to be resolved in the foreseeable future. We will continue to support the efforts of the international community to bring about a lasting settlement to this situation.
	We do not have a breakdown of the total amount of international aid provided to South Ossetia. We do however make small contributions annually through our Small Grants Scheme managed by our embassy in Tbilisi. We have not provided any major assistance to South Ossetia.

Russian Republics

Angus Robertson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development if he will make a statement on the United Kingdom's involvement in the United Nations' Ferghana Valley Development Programme; what discussions (a) he and (b) members of his Department have had with representatives of the (i) Tajik, (ii) Turkmen and (iii) Uzbek governments about the United Nations' Ferghana Valley Development Programme; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The UN Ferghana Valley Development Programme dates back to early 2000, and since then there has been no British involvement. The programme attempts to link the three neighbouring states (Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan) through a number of cross border development initiatives. There has been little progress due to the lack of enthusiasm on the part of the Uzbek Government.

Smoking

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with developing countries about health programmes to reduce smoking; and what assessment has been made of the use of UK programmes in developing countries;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the healthcare costs associated with the growth in smoking in developing countries;
	(3)  what discussions his Department has had with developing countries on (a) using taxation to reduce consumption of tobacco products and (b) developing public education campaigns on the dangers of smoking;
	(4)  what measures his Department has taken to educate the public in least developed countries on the dangers of smoking.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: We do not have direct discussions with or provide support to countries in this area, but work through the World Health Organisation (WHO) and also support the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. This convention was adopted at the World Health Assembly in May 2003 and has been signed by 56 countries so far, including many developing countries. The convention requires countries that have signed it to implement comprehensive tobacco control programmes and strategies at the national, regional and local levels. These include promoting treatment programmes to help people stop smoking, education to prevent people from starting and measures to prohibit sales of tobacco products to minors. The convention recognises that tax and price measures are an important way of reducing tobacco consumption, particularly in young people, and requires signatories to consider public health objectives when implementing tax and price policies on tobacco products.
	This year we plan to transfer a total of £12.5 million to WHO. For the calendar year 2002, WHO spent $4.1 million of its regular budget and $10.4 million of extra-budgetary funds on tobacco-related work, from a total expenditure of $464 million in 2002.

South Asia

Ann Cryer: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development if he will make a statement on aid programmes funded by the Department in (a) India, (b) Bangladesh and (c) Pakistan in the last five years.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID's country programme in India is governed by the Country Strategy Paper published in 2000. We run a nationwide programme, which covers the whole of India, and we also have state-level programmes in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal. Our main partners are the Indian Government; focus state governments and non-governmental organisations. The principal objectives of DFID's work in India under the current strategy are to have partnerships with selected state governments, to support economic reform, services, empowerment of poor, especially minority groups, and better management of the natural and physical environment. We are currently revising our country strategy in India.
	In Pakistan we support priorities agreed following reengagement with the Government in 2000. The programme has three objectives: creating economic conditions for poverty reduction; improving health outcomes; and improving education outcomes. In Pakistan too we are preparing a new Country Assistance Plan to support the Government of Pakistan's own Poverty Reduction Strategy due for publication in October 2003. DFID works in Pakistan with a wide range of partners including Government departments and non-government organisations, and closely coordinates its activities with those of other multilateral and bilateral development agencies.
	In Bangladesh we work in accordance with our Country Strategy published in 1998. Here too a new County Assistance Plan is about to be published which gives priority to advancing the position of women and girls. The new Country Plan supports the Government of Bangladesh's own national poverty strategy and focuses DFID activity around seven areas of importance: support to the private sector, land transport, maternal mortality, primary education, access to food and water and Governance. DFID works in Bangladesh Government departments and non-government organisations and closely coordinates its activities with those of other multi-lateral and development agencies.
	In 2002–03, DFID spent £161 million, £39 million and £77 million in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh respectively.

Southern Africa

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what emergency aid has been provided to southern Africa in recent months.

Hilary Benn: Since September 2001, DFID has provided approximately £120 million in emergency assistance to the six countries in Southern Africa (Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe) that have been most affected by the humanitarian crisis over the past two years. Most of this assistance (approximately £90 million) has been provided to Zimbabwe and Malawi, where needs have been greatest. In addition, we estimate that our contribution to commitments by the European Commission to date is around £26 million.
	Since January this year, over £35 million has been spent on supporting continuing humanitarian operations, particularly in Zimbabwe, but also covering Zambia, Malawi, Swaziland and Mozambique. We intend to programme a further £40 million of emergency aid to Zimbabwe this year, building on our existing programme commitments, in response to the serious humanitarian needs there. We, along with the UN and other donors, will ensure that our humanitarian assistance continues to be distributed according to need and without political interference.
	Where immediate humanitarian needs have reduced, as we have seen this year in Zambia and Malawi, we have shifted our support to programmes that support recovery from the crisis, including through provision of seeds and fertilisers. In Malawi, some £9.3 million has been committed for these activities—again with the objective of improving food security at the household level and ensuring that safety nets that cover an appropriate mix of cash, food and subsidised inputs, are available for the most vulnerable. We have also provided seeds and fertilisers in Mozambique and Swaziland and responded to UN calls for support to seed fairs in those countries.
	Emergency assistance is still needed this year in areas of southern Mozambique, and in Lesotho where the failure of the winter harvest has put more people at risk. We are working to identify where the greatest needs are in these countries and will provide emergency aid to help cover the greatest gaps.
	DFID is also supporting the work of the UN Regional Inter-Agency Co-ordination and Support team in Johannesburg, which works to co-ordinate and harmonise UN and NGO efforts across the region. We have provided £2 million of support to this team so far, and are looking to continue this support until the end of the current phase of the UN Consolidated Appeal, which ends in June 2004.

Vietnam

Ben Chapman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development if he will make a statement on aid to Vietnam.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID is finalising a new Country Assistance Plan for Vietnam, which will be published in November. The key objectives of this plan are: more effective, efficient and equitable use of public financial resources; promotion of socially inclusive development and greater accountability of Government to citizens; and support to economic and social transition from a centrally planned economy to a market economy. These objectives will support the Government of Vietnam's own Comprehensive Poverty Reduction and Growth Strategy (CPRGS).
	Under the new CAP, DFID's assistance is planned to increase from £26 million in 2003–04 to £60 million in 2005–06. This increase is in response to the Government of Vietnam's success in and continuing commitment to, reducing poverty. The incidence of poverty has halved from 58 per cent. in 1992 to 29 per cent. in 2002.
	DFID's current assistance to Vietnam includes supporting the development of primary education, the building and maintenance of rural roads, public financial management reform, state owned enterprise reform, reducing HIV infection, and area based rural development in the Northern Mountains and Central Region. We will continue to work in these areas. We are also directly supporting the Government of Vietnam's reform programme under the CPRGS by providing budget support through the World Bank Poverty Reduction Support Credit. In addition we are supporting the development of the National Assembly, and a project to analyse how market institutions can achieve better development outcomes for the poor. Our assistance is mainly co-financed with other donors.

WTO Meeting (Cancun)

Llew Smith: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what proposals the department has put forward for increasing the importance attributed to protecting the environment in taking forward world trade reform at the World Trade Organisation ministerial meeting in Cancun.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The UK, with DTI and DEFRA as the lead departments, has taken a central role in determining the European Union's negotiating position on trade and environment issues. Despite the collapse of Cancun, we will continue to work towards achieving a successful outcome at the WTO and jointly ensuring the implementation of the WSSD Commitments.
	One of the WTO trade and environment negotiating mandates is to clarify the relationship between WTO rules and specific trade obligations in Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs). The EU's overall aim is to ensure that these two bodies of international law are mutually supportive. With a view to better informing the WTO debate, at Cancun, the EU proposed that agreement be reached to formalise the observer role of MEAs, UNEP and UNCTAD in the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment Special Sessions. The text under discussion when the Conference collapsed had taken on board the EU view by making clear that MEAs and UN agencies should be given observer status in the Committee on Trade and Environment Special Sessions.
	The EU has also been the main driver supporting further work on eco-labelling and increased market access for environmental goods. At Cancun, the EU proposed that agreement should be reached on a new WTO Committee on Trade and Environment work programme on labelling for environmental purposes. However, there was little support for this from other WTO members and at the time of the collapse of the talks, no progress had been made on this issue.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Building Regulations/Standards

David Kidney: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the impact of Part M of the Building Regulations on the design of new housing.

Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has recently commissioned research to evaluate the impact of the changes to Part M introduced in 1999. The work is expected to begin before Christmas, and to report in two years time.

Building Regulations/Standards

David Kidney: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidance he has given local authorities to ensure the consistent application of Part M of the Building Regulations by building control officers.

Phil Hope: Each Part of the Building Regulations consists of a, usually small, number of functional requirements. Guidance on the application of the requirements is provided by a statutory 'Approved Document'. Each such document states that it is intended to provide guidance for some of the more common building situations, but recognises that there may well be alternative ways of achieving compliance with the requirements, and advises builders and developers that ". . . there is no obligation to adopt any particular solution contained in an Approved Document if you prefer to meet the relevant requirement in some other way."
	Every building in its site context is different and there must therefore be room for discretion and adaptation to local circumstances. Nor is it possible in a usable guidance document to illustrate an acceptable solution for the almost infinite variety of building situations. Absolute consistency of application of any part of the Building Regulations is thus neither achievable nor desirable, and reliance must be placed on the professionalism and competence of the building control community.

Building Regulations/Standards

David Kidney: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many instances there have been of enforcement action against builders for breaches of Part M of the Building Regulations in the last three years; and with what results.

Phil Hope: Responsibility for enforcement of the Building Regulations rests with local authorities. Data on enforcement action are not collected centrally, and could not be provided at disproportionate cost.

Building Regulations/Standards

David Kidney: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what amendments he proposes to make to Part M of the Building Regulations.

Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister expects to announce the publication of amendments to Part M of the Building Regulations relating to buildings other than dwellings shortly. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister issued a consultation document on the proposed amendments in November 2002, and officials have since then, with the assistance of the Building Regulations Advisory Committee, been finalising the new Approved Document. The amendments will extend the application of Part M to work to existing buildings, reflect the contents where appropriate of British Standard BS 8300:2001 'Design of buildings and their approaches to meet the needs of disabled people—Code of Practice', and complement the objectives of Part III of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 relating to accessibility of goods, facilities, services and premises.

Building Regulations/Standards

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will extend the period in which a builder can be sued for poor workmanship.

David Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
	The period within which a civil action must be commenced against a builder for poor workmanship is subject to the Limitation Act 1980 (unless the terms of an individual contract specify otherwise). In July 2002, the Government announced its acceptance in principle of the recommendations for reform of the 1980 Act contained in the Law Commission report "Limitation of Actions", subject to further consideration of certain aspects. Legislation will be introduced when an opportunity arises.
	The Commission proposed a core limitation regime that would apply to the majority of claims for a remedy for a wrong or the enforcement of a right. In broad terms, a claim would have to be brought within a primary limitation period of three years from the date on which the claimant knows (or ought reasonably to know) the facts giving rise to the claim, the identity of the defendant, and that any injury, loss or damage was significant. No claim could be brought after the expiry of a 10-year "longstop" period, which normally would run from the date on which the cause of action arose. At present in a simple contract claim the limitation period is six years from the date the cause of action arose.

Building Regulations/Standards

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received in the last 12 months on the buildmark warranty scheme operated by the National House-Building Council.

Phil Hope: Over the last 12 months, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has received about 50 letters from hon. Members and from members of the public raising points about the Buildmark warranty scheme. This is a non-statutory scheme ran by the National House Building Council (NHBC), which is an independent company, limited by guarantee. Officials from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister inform NHBC senior management of the key points raised in correspondence, to assist them in their monitoring of the scheme.

Compulsory Purchase Orders

Mike Hancock: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to amend the law regarding compulsory purchase orders.

Keith Hill: Part 7 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill, currently before Parliament, includes provisions to amend the planning compulsory purchase power at section 226 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and to introduce a new loss payment to enhance compulsory purchase compensation. A further six amendments to the Bill were tabled on 17 September 2003 to provide for improvements to compulsory purchase procedures and compensation arrangements. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will consult shortly on the details of a further proposed amendment to the Bill relating to advance payments of compensation for land subject to mortgage.
	The Law Commission is also considering how best to codify, consolidate and modernise the existing complex and convoluted legislative base, and is expected to produce its final recommendations in January 2004.

Consultancy Contracts

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the five highest value consultancy contracts relating to (a) council house privatisation and (b) stock transfer for proposals; and what payments have been in each case in each of the last three years.

Keith Hill: Information on costs relating to Best Value studies, decent home delivery option appraisals or housing transfer advice is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Consultancy Contracts

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether his Department maintains a recommended list of consultants to carry out (a) Best Value studies and (b) council house privatisation studies.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not maintain lists of consultants to carry out Best Value studies, decent home delivery option appraisals or housing transfer advice.

Domestic Violence

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what action his Department is taking to help victims of domestic violence.

Yvette Cooper: Tackling domestic violence, and supporting those who are victims of domestic violence, is taken very seriously across Government.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister announced at the end of last year a £7 million capital investment programme through the Housing Corporation to extend and renovate the national network of women's refuges in England. Initial allocations for 2003–04 were agreed in conjunction with the Housing Corporation in March this year and it is hoped that further schemes will be supported in the next two years.
	The Supporting People programme, which begins on 1 April, will put in place a new integrated policy and funding framework for housing-related support services, including those for people experiencing domestic violence. Current annual expenditure is £34 million for a total of 5,000 places. Local authorities have now submitted their shadow Supporting People strategies. These are currently being analysed and will provide valuable data on the supply of refuge and support services for people experiencing domestic violence, so helping to inform and direct future action.
	Supporting People guides have also been issued on addressing the accommodation and support needs of households experiencing domestic violence; and two dedicated co-ordinators are working with providers and local authorities to ensure that the sector is prepared for the new programme.
	In July 2002, the main homelessness provisions of the Homelessness Act 2002 and the Homelessness (Priority Need for Accommodation) (England) Order 2002 were brought into force. These required local housing authorities to take a more strategic approach to preventing and tackling homelessness, placed stronger duties on authorities to help homeless people, and extended the groups of homeless applicants who have a priority need for accommodation, including, among others, people vulnerable as a result of fleeing their home because of violence. The Homelessness Directorate has allocated £70 million in 2003–04 to local authorities and other agencies to help them address homelessness. This will include some support for domestic violence schemes where local authorities have identified this as a priority.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in partnership with Comic Relief, plans to support the introduction of a national freephone helpline, linked to a 'refuges online' database to assist victims of domestic violence which it is hoped will be operational before the end of the year.

Euro

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what cumulative spending by all local authorities has been in each year in preparing for United Kingdom entry to the euro; how much he plans to allocate for spending by all local authorities on preparations for United Kingdom entry to the euro for each year from the current financial year up to and including 2005–06; and what estimates he has made of the cumulative total costs to all local authorities of changeover to the European Single Currency.

Nick Raynsford: Details of public sector expenditure to date on changeover planning were included in the third outline National Changeover Plan, published on 9 June 2003. Copies of the document are available in the Library of the House.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister expects no significant costs to local authorities at this stage and there are no plans for additional allocation of funds. The guidance to local authorities, which was released on 17 June, advises them to undertake sensible risk management and business planning for the possibility of a euro changeover. All the evidence from the euro area suggests that such early planning can significantly reduce costs of any changeover.
	In the event of any changeover, the total cost to local authorities will depend upon the circumstances and approach taken by individual councils. The Government would look with local authorities at the pressures they face.

High Hedges

Damian Green: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to propose legislation to deal with fast-growing high hedges; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Hill: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 17 September 2003, Official Report, columns 859–60.

Homelessness

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  how many families have claimed to be homeless in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) England, in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many people were homeless in (a) the Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) England, in each year since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: Information collected is in respect of households, rather than persons, and is not available below local authority level. The available information reported by South Tyneside MBC, and all councils comprising the North East region and nationally is presented as follows. The term "homelessness acceptances" means those applicants whom a local housing authority have accepted as being eligible for assistance, homeless through no fault of their own and who have a priority need for accommodation. The priority need categories were extended by Order in July 2002 to broaden the safety net available for homeless people.
	
		
			  Homelessness Decisions Homelessness Acceptances 
			  South Tyneside North East Region England South Tyneside North East Region England 
		
		
			 1997 144 12,800 246,170 126 4,420 102,000 
			 1998 (6)206 11,730 250,960 (6)166 4,370 104,630 
			 1999 266 12,440 249,110 212 4,830 105,370 
			 2000 246 12,100 252,290 201 5,060 111,340 
			 2001 370 12,320 260,170 306 5,470 118,560 
			 2002 430 14,210 273,480 364 6,420 124,880 
		
	
	(6) South Tyneside reported in only three quarters of 1998.
	Notes:
	1. Decisions include those where applicant household was found to be ineligible for assistance under the homelessness provisions of housing legislation.
	2. Figures for the North East and England include estimates for missing data, and have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	3. Acceptances refers to households found to be eligible, unintentionally homeless and in priority need.
	Source:
	Office of the Deputy Prime Minister P1(E) quarterly housing activity returns

Housing

Bob Russell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 15 September, ref 129306, for what reasons the allocation of additional funds for additional investment in local authority housing stock under the Sustainable Communities Plan did not include the option for a local authority to retain ownership and democratic control.

Keith Hill: The Government believes that the benefit from additional resources will be maximised if the landlord function is separated from the authorities broader strategic functions. The three options offering additional investment—stock transfer, Private Finance Initiative (PFI) and Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMOs)—all provide this.
	They also ensure that tenants have a greater role in the future management of their homes.

Housing

Peter Viggers: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will grant the Rowner housing estate in Gosport eligibility for his schemes for special support.

Keith Hill: The Government Office for the South East is currently working with Gosport's Local Strategic Partnership and Hampshire county council to help resolve the key issues around the Rowner estate. At present the partnership is in its infancy and as such is debating proposals to tackle the root causes of the problems surrounding the Rowner estate. The Government Office is in a position to provide advice during this process to the Local Strategic Partnership and Hampshire county council on any schemes that the Rowner estate may be eligible for.

Local Government

Michael Foster: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will estimate the level of area cost adjustment for each local authority in the West Midland region for the 2003–04 financial year using average pay levels for the West Midland region as a basis.

Nick Raynsford: The table gives the area cost adjustment (ACA) values calculated for each upper tier authority in the West Midlands region, relative to the West Midlands average. Because we no longer use average wages as the basis of the ACA, the figures are relative to the average labour cost adjustment for the West Midlands region.
	
		
			  ACA 
			 Authority Education PSS: children and younger adults PSS: older people Police Fire Highway maintenance EPCS 
		
		
			 Shropshire 0.970 0.972 0.968 0.968 0.968 0.976 0.976 
			 Telford and Wrekin 0.970 0.972 0.969 0.969 0.969 0.976 0.976 
			 Staffordshire 0.981 0.983 0.980 0.980 0.980 0.985 0.985 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 0.976 0.977 0.974 0.974 0.974 0.980 0.980 
			 Herefordshire 0.964 0.966 0.962 0.962 0.962 0.971 0.971 
			 Worcestershire 0.986 0.987 0.985 0.985 0.985 0.988 0.988 
			 Warwickshire 1.029 1.029 1.032 1.035 1.036 1.031 1.031 
			 Wolverhampton 0.995 0.997 0.996 0.999 1.000 1.003 1.003 
			 Walsall 0.972 0.976 0.971 0.974 0.975 0.984 0.984 
			 Dudley 0.979 0.982 0.979 0.982 0.983 0.990 0.990 
			 Sandwell 0.991 0.993 0.991 0.994 0.995 0.999 1.000 
			 Solihull 1.055 1.053 1.059 1.062 1.063 1.051 1.052 
			 Coventry 1.030 1.030 1.033 1.036 1.037 1.031 1.032 
			 Birmingham 1.032 1.032 1.035 1.038 1.039 1.033 1.033 
		
	
	Note:
	ACA factors estimated relative to the West Midlands average
	There are two parts to the ACA: the labour cost adjustment (LCA) and the rates cost adjustment (RCA). To produce the ACA factors calculated in the table, individual LCA factors have been calculated for each upper tier authority in the West Midlands. These factors have been rebased so that they are relative to the West Midlands regional average and used in the above ACA calculation.
	As a result, these ACA figures are not directly comparable to the current ACA figures because the West Midlands region is not used as the basis for ACA calculations. No lower limit is applied to the LCA figures calculated in the table, in the interest of providing illustrative figures for every authority.

Local Government

Michael Foster: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the impact of regional pay in public services upon the area cost adjustment used in revenue support grant calculations.

Nick Raynsford: In his Budget statement, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the Government would be giving increased emphasis to the regional and local elements of public sector pay. As a first and immediate step, the terms of reference or remit letters of the Pay Review Bodies have been modified to require them to have regard to regional/local labour markets and their effects on recruitment and retention. The ability to recruit and retain staff in every location is crucial to high quality public services. Staff shortages, resulting from an inability to recruit and retain staff with the requisite skills in the right numbers in specific locations, are currently concentrated in certain areas, mainly but not exclusively in parts of London and the south-east. A stronger local and regional element to pay is one important tool to address these issues.
	The area cost adjustment already directs grant to areas with higher wages in recognition of the increased recruitment and retention cost experienced there. Any effect of regional public service pay will be reflected in the pay cost evidence that we use in calculating the area cost adjustment.

Local Government

Vincent Cable: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many prosecutions have taken place using the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: I have been asked to reply.
	Persons proceeded against under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 cannot be separately identified on the Home Office Court Proceedings database.

Local Government

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what recent estimates he has made on the costs of re-organising local government in the (a) North West, (b) North East and (c) Yorkshire and Humberside as a part of his proposals to set up regional assemblies.

Nick Raynsford: The cost of re-organising local government in the three regions will be dependent on the extent of the changes recommended by the Boundary Committee for England and subsequent decisions made by the newly created authorities about their organisational structure and levels of service provision.

Local Government

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much central government funding was allocated to each local authority in recognition of residents receiving (a) disability living allowance, (b) attendance allowance and (c) minimum income guarantee in the latest year for which figures are available.

Yvette Cooper: Elderly people in receipt of disability living allowance (DLA) and attendance allowance are taken into account in the older people social services formula spending share, although it is not possible to provide a detailed breakdown of how much money local authorities receive as a direct result of this.
	Local housing authorities have a statutory duty to offer means tested disabled facilities grants (DFGs) to eligible applicants who require adaptations to help them live independently in their own homes. The grants are available to homeowners and tenants in both the private and social rented sectors.
	The Government meets 60 per cent. of local authority expenditure incurred on DFGs, with the remaining 40 per cent. being met from the authority's own resources. The budget for this grant for English authorities in 2003–04 is £99 million compared with £88 million in 2002–03 and £56 million in 1997–98. The allocation of these resources to local housing authorities takes into account the numbers of people claiming DLA and attendance allowance within each local authority.
	A table showing each English local housing authority's share of DFG resources from the national budget for 2003–04 is available in the Libraries of the House.

Planning

Bob Russell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what procedures are open to residents to seek an independent determination of planning applications involving departure from the local plan where the local authority is both the land owner and the planning authority; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Hill: The procedures dealing with development undertaken by local authorities are set out in the Town and Country Planning General Regulations 1992. Guidance on these regulations is given in Department of Environment (DOE) Circular 19/92. The general principle underlying these regulations is that the local planning authorities must make planning applications in the same way as any other person and must follow the same procedures as would be applicable to everyone.
	Any local authority development proposals or development on authority owned land which are not in accordance with the provisions of the local development plan, must also be notified to my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister so that he can consider whether to "call in" the application for his own determination. If consent is granted for a development undertaken by a local planning authority, the only recourse remaining to any aggrieved third party is to apply for judicial review if they believe the decision was wrong in law or to ask the Local Government Ombudsman to investigate if they consider there has been maladministration by the local authority.

Property Rentals

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had with groups representing tenants about the feasibility of establishing a Government-sponsored bond scheme for those renting property.

Keith Hill: Later this year the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister plan to hold a seminar between officials and representatives of groups with an interest in tenancy deposits (including tenants), to discuss the possibility of legislative measures for deposit handling in the context of the Law Commission's proposals for tenure review. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will continue to consult interested parties on any further proposals.

Regional Assemblies

Joyce Quin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  on what basis the assessment was made in the White Paper, "Your Region, Your Choice", that elected regional assemblies needed at least 25 members in order to provide members for the executive while retaining sufficient backbench members for effective scrutiny but set an upper limit of 35 members for assemblies;
	(2)  on what basis the assessment was made in the White Paper, "Your Region, Your Choice", that for elected regional assemblies to be representative of different political views and different parts of a region 25 members was the minimum needed to secure a representative assembly using proportional representation.

Nick Raynsford: Elected regional assemblies will be strategic bodies with an efficient and focused membership of between 25 and 35 elected members. They will have a similar role to that of the Greater London Authority, which has a Mayor and 25 assembly Members.
	The Government expects that elected regional assemblies will have an executive of at least three members and a maximum of six, including the leader. The Government believes that this leaves a sufficient number of members to exercise the scrutiny function.
	Approximately two thirds of elected members will be constituency members, the other third will be regional members elected from a regional list. This form of proportional representation will ensure that the assembly is representative of the region. Fewer than 25 members would make it difficult to reflect the vote proportionately. Membership will be larger where population is greater up to a maximum of 35. Any larger size would risk compromising the strategic role of Elected Regional Assemblies and could cause confusion between this and the separate representative and service delivery role of local authorities. Elected regional assemblies will also be expected to involve regional stakeholders in their work, which will help ensure that different views are taken into account.

Regional Assemblies

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will place in the Library the responses he received to the soundings exercise to gauge opinion on the proposed regional assemblies.

Nick Raynsford: My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister announced on 16 June that copies of the summary document "Your Region, Your Say" were available in the Libraries of both Houses, along with copies of the 1,333 responses from representative organisations. Copies of the 7,132 responses from individuals are held by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and can be viewed on request, except for those that requested that their responses be held in confidence.

Revenue Support Grant

Michael Foster: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what base year was used to calculate the level of visitor numbers when setting the Revenue Support Grant for 2003–04.

Nick Raynsford: The 2003–04 Local Government Finance Settlement included estimates of day visitors and overnight visitors.
	The estimates of day visitors were based on research using information from the Leisure Day Visits Survey 1988–89, 1991 Census, 1991 Survey of Visits to Tourist Attractions, 1991 Census of Employment and other information about urban areas, National Parks, areas of outstanding natural beauty and official bathing beaches. The information used was that available to the Secretary of State for National Heritage on 1 November 1993.
	The estimates of overnight visitors were generally based on information from the United Kingdom Tourism Surveys (1993 to 2001), for domestic visitors; and from the International Passenger Surveys (1999 to 2001) and the 1991 Census for foreign visitors.

Revenue Support Grant

Michael Foster: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he made of visitor numbers to Worcester City when calculating the Revenue Support Grant for 2003–04.

Nick Raynsford: The figure used in the calculation of the 2003–04 Local Government Finance Settlement for the annual number of day visitors to Worcester City was 2,188,000. Overnight visitors are not included in the calculation for district councils.

Revenue Support Grant

Michael Foster: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he next plans to assess visitor numbers used in the Revenue Support Grant allocation.

Nick Raynsford: A review of the visitor indicators used in the calculation of Formula Spending Shares is planned to commence early in 2004.
	The 2003–04 Local Government Finance Settlement saw the introduction of a new formula. To give some stability, it was announced there would be no further Formula Spending Share formula changes until 2006–07 at the earliest, except where there are changes in the functions of councils, or the financing of particular services. During this time data will continue to be updated.

Revenue Support Grant

Michael Foster: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of (a) the night-time economy and (b) visitor numbers for county towns when setting the Revenue Support Grant.

Nick Raynsford: Overnight visitors to an area are included in the calculations for the Police and Highway Maintenance Formula Spending Shares. Day visitors are included in calculations for the Police, Highway Maintenance and Environmental, Protective and Cultural Services Formula Spending Share.

Revenue Support Grant

Michael Foster: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he will use 2001 census data to determine country of birth indicators when allocating revenue support grants in 2004–05.

Nick Raynsford: Data from the 1991 census will be used to determine the country of birth indicators in the calculation of the 2004–05 Local Government Finance Settlement.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Rights of Way

Gordon Prentice: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps have been taken to assess whether any land held by the Church of England may be suitable for dedicating for access under section 16 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.

Stuart Bell: No such assessment has been made. The Commissioners are committed to protecting public rights of way over their land and ensuring that such rights are respected. Any proposals for additional rights that were compatible with the Commissioners' trustee obligations and had no adverse effect on the land or tenants would be looked at on their merits.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Organ Donors

Mike Hancock: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will amend the Electoral Registration form to allow persons to indicate whether they are willing to be organ donors.

Christopher Leslie: The framework governing the purposes for which the electoral registration form and the electoral register may be used, which was introduced last year after lengthy discussion, complies with data protection and human rights legislation, and my Department has no plans to amend the electoral registration form to allow it to be used for additional purposes. We concur with the view of the independent Electoral Commission that additional material unrelated to electoral issues should not normally be included with registration forms.

Electoral Register

Andrew Love: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what action he is taking to tackle the problem of citizens disappearing from the electoral register; and what assistance he gives local authorities.

Christopher Leslie: The Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 introduced in February 2001 a number of changes to voter registration procedures, including 'rolling registration', aimed both at making it easier to register to vote and at achieving more accurate and up to date electoral registers. The independent Electoral Commission is to undertake research into the effects of the changes to registration procedures in order to identify the extent of under registration, which the Government will consider carefully. The Electoral Commission is responsible for offering advice and guidance to electoral registration officers on these and other matters and will continue to encourage registration through various promotional activities.

Electoral Register

Andrew Love: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what obligations local authorities have to ensure UK citizens remain on the electoral register.

Christopher Leslie: Electoral Registration Officers, appointed by local authorities, are required to compile and maintain accurate electoral registers. They must register all eligible persons and have powers to seek information from any person who they consider is eligible to be registered. It is an offence for any person to fail to comply with a request for information from, or to give false information to, an Electoral Registration Officer.

Asbestos

Vincent Cable: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much has been spent by his Department and its agencies on (a) asbestos surveys and (b) the management and removal of asbestos since 1 January 2001; and what budget is available to (i) commission asbestos surveys and (ii) manage and remove asbestos from buildings in (A) 2003 and (B) 2004.

David Lammy: My Department's HQ Estate has spent £5,801 on asbestos surveys and £10,396 on the management and removal of asbestos since 2001. Funding for commissioning surveys and the management and removal of asbestos from the estate in 2003 and 2004 will be available from existing maintenance budgets.
	The Court Service is unable to provide the information and figures without incurring disproportionate costs. They are preparing to comply with the 2004 duty by identifying where in buildings asbestos is present, assessing the risk and, depending on its condition and whether it is likely to be disturbed, taking action to manage the risk.

Catherine Meyer

Keith Vaz: To ask the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans he has to make representations to the Chief Justice of Germany concerning the case of Catherine Meyer.

David Lammy: None.

Western Circuit

Mike Hancock: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs 
	(1)  who was consulted about the proposal to remove Hampshire from the Western Circuit; when the decision will be made; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what representations he has received on the proposal to remove Hampshire from the Western Circuit;
	(3)  what factors underlay the proposal to (a) remove Hampshire from the Western Circuit and (b) include it in a South Eastern tier; and if he will make a statement.

Robert Key: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the impact on the Western Circuit of his proposal to move Winchester Crown Court into the South Eastern Circuit;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the impact of his proposal to move Winchester Crown Court into the South Eastern Circuit on the administration of justice in the Salisbury Constituency;
	(3)  what representations he has received from the judiciary about his proposal to remove Winchester Crown Court into the South Eastern Circuit;
	(4)  what consultation he proposes to hold with hon. Members for constituencies in (a) Wiltshire and (b) Dorset about his proposals to remove Winchester Crown Court from the Western to the South Eastern Circuit;
	(5)  where people from the Salisbury Constituency charged with (a) murder, (b) manslaughter and (c) attempted murder will be sent for trial if Winchester Crown Court is removed to the South Eastern Circuit.

Christopher Leslie: The Courts Bill, which is currently before Parliament, makes provisions that will allow the Government to replace the existing 42 magistrates courts committees and the Court Service with a single executive agency, responsible for the administration of all the courts below the House of Lords. No date has yet been set for the establishment of the new unified courts agency although it will not be before April 2005.
	The unified courts agency will be an entirely new organisation, twice the size of either of the two services that will be subsumed within it. The Secretary of State and I have given close consideration to the regional management structure for the agency and what the boundaries of those regions should be. In this context, we paid careful attention to the "Modernising Government" White Paper of March 1999. This sets out the Government's policy that, wherever possible, the boundaries of government departments and public bodies at regional level should coincide with those of the Government Offices for the Regions. This commitment was repeated in the White Paper "Your Region, Your Choice" in May 2002.
	Since May 2003 the Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Pontefract and Castleford (Yvette Cooper), officials from the Department for Constitutional Affairs and I have held meetings with the senior judiciary, representatives of the General Council of the Bar, and judges and barristers from the Western Circuit to discuss the structure of the new agency and in particular how the area currently covered by the Western Circuit should fit within that. Written submissions from judges and barristers have also been received on the subject.
	On 31 July 2003, the Secretary of State and I announced our decision that, at local level, the unified courts agency would have 42 management units coterminous with local government boundaries. This is in line with other criminal justice agencies such as the Police Authorities, Crown Prosecution Service and the Probation Service. There will also be seven regions. The boundaries of these regions will be coterminous with those of the Government Offices for the Regions, with two exceptions. The Secretary of State and I have decided that the Cheshire management unit should be linked with the Wales region for the time being but that we want to review this in 2006–07 as part of a general post implementation review of the agency's working arrangements. We have asked for further work to be undertaken before deciding whether to align the Hampshire unit with the South East or South West regions. This work will cover what the impact of including Hampshire within the South East region would be on the administration of justice throughout the current Western Circuit and in particular whether there would be a need to change the way in which cases are handled in Wiltshire, Dorset and Hampshire. This will inform our decision, which we intend to take by 31 October 2003. I would be happy to discuss this matter with hon. Members representing constituencies in those counties.

Departmental Staff

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans he has for redeployment of members of his Department out of London and the south east.

David Lammy: The scope for relocating Government activity is being considered by Sir Michael Lyons. His independent review was announced in the Chancellor's Budget statement on 9 April.
	Details of the review, including the consultation launched on 19 June, can be found on the HM Treasury website at www.hm-treasury.gov.uk. Sir Michael will report his findings on the scope for relocating Departments and other public sector bodies before the end of the year.
	Currently, 11,215 DCA staff (out of a total of 13,455) are either based in regional locations or are in front-line customer facing roles in London and the south east. We are, in light of the Sir Michael Lyons exercise, reviewing the need for continuing to locate staff in London and the south east.

Domestic Violence

Vera Baird: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs 
	(1)  when the new forms, devised by the Safety Stakeholder Group of his Department, screening Children's Act cases for domestic violence will be brought into use; and what steps are being taken prior to the forms' introduction to ensure that relevant issues of domestic violence are brought to the attention of the court;
	(2)  what factors have influenced the date of the introduction of the new domestic violence forms for use in Children Act 1989 cases.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 16 September 2003
	I have been asked to reply.
	We want to encourage contact between children and their non-resident parent where it is in the best interests of the child and safe for all family members. We encourage parents who are divorcing or separating to agree contact arrangements for their children. Most parents do agree such arrangements. Where the courts are asked to intervene, the Children Act 1989 makes the welfare of the child its paramount concern. The courts are required to consider any harm a child has suffered or is at risk of suffering when determining what, if any, contact order to make. The court is also obliged to make a finding of fact in any case involving allegations of violence. The court must determine whether or not the alleged violence has occurred and, if so, its impact on the child. This obligation is set out in best practice guidelines issued by the Children Act Sub-Committee to the Lord Chancellor's Advisory Board on Family Law in spring 2001. The impact of these guidelines is being evaluated.
	The court may attach supervisory conditions to an order for contact that may be for indirect rather than direct contact. We are providing £2.5 million over the next three years from the Children's Fund to extend the provision of supervised contact.
	Section 120 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002 amended the Children Act 1989 to make it clear that when a court is considering whether a child has suffered or is likely to suffer harm, this harm includes harm a child may suffer as a result of witnessing the ill-treatment of another person. In addition the Safety Stakeholder Group has suggested revisions to the court forms used in applications for residence, contact, specific issues and prohibited steps to highlight allegations of domestic violence. This would enable domestic violence to be raised right at the beginning of proceedings and enable the judge more effectively to determine whether, and in what terms, any order should be made on the basis of all the available facts. The revised definition of harm and the changes to the court forms to highlight domestic violence will be implemented as soon as the necessary resources are identified.

Ecclesiastical Appointments

Alan Beith: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs for what reason his powers of appointment to ecclesiastical livings referred to in paragraph 37 of the Consultation Paper on Reforming the Office of Lord Chancellor are described as the appointment of priests, but not to the appointment of clerks in holy orders, including deacons.

Christopher Leslie: A "Clerk in Holy Orders" is a generic designation, which covers those orders recognised by the Church of England, of which priests are one. The Lord Chancellor only appoints priests to those posts under his patronage.

Ethnic Minorities

Keith Vaz: To ask the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many ethnic minorities there are in each grade in his Department.

David Lammy: The number of staff of minority ethnic origin by responsibility level is set out in the table below.
	
		Ethnic Origin of Permanent Staff in the Department for Constitutional Affairs (including the Court Serviceand the Public Guardianship Office) by Responsibility Level as at 31 August 2003
		
			 Gradeequivalent Ethnic minority staff White staff Not known Total Ethnic minority as percentage of known ethnic origin 
		
		
			  
			  
			 AA/AO 660 4,326 2,442 7,429 13.2 
			 EO 333 1,763 789 2,885 15.9 
			 HEO/SEO 131 1,193 459 1,783 9.9 
			 Grade 6/7 26 364 179 569 6.7 
			 SCS 0 81 36 117 0 
			 Total 1,150 7,727 3,906 12,783 13

Ethnic Minorities

Mike Hancock: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs 
	(1)  what research he has undertaken to assess the implications of the ending of the free legal advice and representation service to ethnic minorities; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what factors underlay the decision to end the free legal advice and representation service to ethnic minorities; what the benefits are of the changes he is proposing; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: I have assumed that the hon. Member is referring to the effect on the services currently provided to ethnic minority clients by the Immigration Advisory Service (IAS), following the proposed transfer of funding from the Home Office to the Legal Services Commission.
	The terms of the contract that will be awarded to the IAS following the transfer of funding from the Home Office to the Legal Services Commission have yet to be finalised. Ministers will write to the IAS in the near future, once the position is clearer.

Fine Defaulting

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what measures have been taken to prevent people defaulting on court-imposed fines.

Christopher Leslie: I refer the hon. Gentlemen to the Written Ministerial Statement I gave on 25 June 2003, Official Report, column 40WS in respect of fine enforcement.

Fine Defaulting

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many and what value of court-imposed fines were defaulted on in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) Tyne and Wear and (d) the UK in each year since 1997.

Christopher Leslie: The data are not available in the form requested.
	Magistrates' Court Committees (MCCs) have a responsibility to collect a range of debts imposed by both the magistrates courts and the crown court. Debt collected not only includes fines but also fees, compensation, confiscation orders, legal aid contributions and some maintenance orders. It is not yet possible to separate out only the fines from the total and thus it is also not possible to report on the number or the value of court imposed fines that were defaulted on.
	The available data illustrating the total value of arrears outstanding at relevant Courthouse, Northumbria MCC and national are as follows.
	
		Closing arrears totals(7)  -- £
		
			 Courthouse/area 1999–2000(8) 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 
		
		
			 Gateshead n/a n/a 461,028.08 439,039.30 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 563,330.36 589,787.61 979,945.41 967,089.08 
			 North Tyneside 366,322.00 454,551.00 613,469.00 587,985.00 
			 Sunderland n/a 502,039.19 600,256.41 607,341.86 
			 South Tyneside 169,930.30 181,144.84 270,283.70 358,126.63 
			 Northumbria MCC(9) 2,008,365 2,763,505 3,201,597 3,157,655 
			 England and Wales 227,361,076 225,908,941 246,481,521 276,870,306 
		
	
	(7) The amount of the 'closing balance owed' that is in arrears.
	(8) Current information collection commenced in 1999–2000 and data is not available prior to that year.
	(9) To note: this data is incomplete, it does not include information on Houghton Le Spring.

Food Expenditure

David Lidington: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much has been spent on food by his Department and by each of the agencies for which it is responsible in 2002–03; what proportion of that food by value was produced in the United Kingdom; what guidance he has issued to encourage the procurement of home-produced food; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: The majority of food is provided under catering service contracts with commercial suppliers, in addition the Department buys some food directly.
	Expenditure on catering service contracts in 2002–03 amounted to £2,093,265, the amount for food bought directly for the same period was £377,209.
	Information available for DCA HQ indicates that on average 52 per cent. of the food bought directly was produced in the UK. For food provided under catering service contracts, dependent on the type of product and time of year this proportion varies from 25 per cent. to 100 per cent.
	DCA is working with DEFRA to implement their guidance on local sourcing and has developed an action plan with our current catering service providers to increase the proportion of local and UK produce purchased.

Immigration Advisory Service

Mike Hancock: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what free legal representation will be available to those refused visas by overseas posts when funding is withdrawn from the Immigration Advisory Service.

David Lammy: The terms of the contract that will be awarded to the Immigration Advisory Service (IAS) following the transfer of funding from the Home Office to the Legal Services Commission have yet to be finalised. Ministers will write to the IAS in the near future, once the position is clearer.

Judges' Lodgings

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will list for each judges' lodgings in each of the last four years (a) their total cost, (b) the number of nights they were used by judges, (c) the number of staff employed, (d) whether it is freehold and (e) in relation to (d) (i) the capital value if freehold and (ii) its surrender value if leasehold.

Christopher Leslie: holding answer 2 July 2003
	The information requested has been set out in the following tables. The individual capital values of judges' lodgings have not been provided as they are considered to be commercially confidential. The disclosure of individual property values could prejudice the Department's negotiating position when progressing any plans to rationalise the lodgings estate. The information is withheld under exemption 7 of the Code (relating to effective management and operations of the public service). No data are available for leasehold and license properties.
	
		Expenditure for each judge's lodgings, for the years 1999–2003 inclusive
		
			 Lodging 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 
		
		
			 Birmingham 356,736.17 405,865.43 415,705.55 432,874.74 
			 Leicester 40,964.94 50,432.89 44,928.71 91,569.11 
			 Lincoln 35,075.36 39,000.34 38,385.96 42,885.14 
			 Northampton 25,031.50 18,109.32 30,622.87 17,472.17 
			 Nottingham 189,056.39 218,144.54 246,113.20 250,807.08 
			 Stafford 104,226.10 137,966.93 88,366.49 99,057.55 
			 Warwick 9,792.75 235.00 4,827.92 0 
			 Worcester 24,001.84 33,214.04 55,280.08 31,991.60 
			 Leeds 289,833.69 376,933.30 316,445.18 319,626.98 
			 Plawsworth 331,201.69 430,176.19 326,003.36 305,022.17 
			 Sheffield 322,359.72 291,088.99 242,090.17 256,479.49 
			 Temporary judge's lodgings (Hull) 0.00 14,112.24 27,053.68 12,515.76 
			 Carlisle 35,784.61 34,554.58 31,239.93 22,821.63 
			 Liverpool 291,920.72 233,721.22 274,731.19 235,575.37 
			 Manchester 340,661.18 448,365.96 382,005.97 339,810.76 
			 Preston 213,045.95 214,021.46 223,802.25 225,748.93 
			 Chelmsford 105,494.41 107,853.64 114,388.17 138,508.71 
			 Lewes 142,912.21 178,327.11 159,481.23 147,923.35 
			 Temporary judge's lodgings (Lewes) 0 0 0 22,192.13 
			 Maidstone 185,689.18 224,916.27 206,906.43 188,572.83 
			 Norwich 124,637.02 186,917.83 152,954.05 149,283.82 
			 Oxford 59,168.85 42,878.64 38,768.96 33,449.34 
			 Reading 112,420.32 123,004.54 182,071.19 169,882.14 
			 St. Albans 216,451.08 291,011.19 224,267.65 258,149.67 
			 Caernarfon 13,771.03 14,652.72 21,989.96 10,482.15 
			 Cardiff 235,173.88 317,177.84 286,408.24 235,232.72 
			 Chester 197,999.40 268,956.26 234,009.87 202,777.96 
			 Mold 46,604.57 48,145.87 67,136.40 0 
			 Swansea 182,186.78 213,549.28 199,587.93 177,590.17 
			 Bristol 213,888.24 213,776.82 209,010.69 242,817.41 
			 Exeter 46,945.43 39,512.79 64,960.49 65,923.56 
			 Plymouth 16,856.05 17,628.52 15,537.34 18,527.92 
			 Truro 19,967.87 19,647.59 20,637.26 14,123.77 
			 Winchester 255,824.13 301,791.48 325,776.83 295,237.96 
			  4,785,683.07 5,555,690.83 5,271.495.20 5,054,934.09 
		
	
	
		Number of judge nights each judges' lodgings was used for the period 1999–2003
		
			 Lodging 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 
		
		
			 Birmingham 620 575 560 717 
			 Leicester 62 53 73 109 
			 Lincoln 42 46 55 48 
			 Northampton 23 20 40 17 
			 Nottingham 201 239 263 313 
			 Stafford 146 144 207 161 
			 Warwick 38 0 30 0 
			 Worcester 29 40 41 35 
			 Leeds 509 549 599 576 
			 Plawsworth 554 590 496 394 
			 Sheffield 230 256 303 231 
			 Temporary judge's lodgings (Hull) 0 45 90 40 
			 Carlisle 59 60 84 35 
			 Liverpool 529 457 491 518 
			 Manchester 492 635 581 659 
			 Preston 274 218 277 348 
			 Chelmsford 151 69 145 142 
			 Lewes 120 125 60 42 
			 Temporary judge's lodgings (Lewes) 0 0 0 38 
			 Maidstone 120 120 110 81 
			 Norwich 130 125 145 120 
			 Oxford 72 30 40 24 
			 Reading 110 80 131 129 
			 St. Albans 165 230 95 135 
			 Caernarfon 13 16 26 10 
			 Cardiff 331 426 311 249 
			 Chester 198 199 188 206 
			 Mold 23 20 8 0 
			 Swansea 147 190 190 145 
			 Bristol 323 235 229 267 
			 Exeter 73 91 93 55 
			 Plymouth 15 25 18 30 
			 Truro 20 30 40 23 
			 Winchester 370 330 224 300 
			  6,189 6,268 6,243 6,197 
		
	
	
		Number of staff employed at each judges' lodgings during the period 1999–2003
		
			 Lodging 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 
		
		
			 Birmingham 8 10 10 6 
			 Leicester — — — — 
			 Lincoln — — — — 
			 Northampton — — — — 
			 Nottingham 6 6 6 4 
			 Stafford — — — — 
			 Warwick — — — — 
			 Worcester — — — — 
			 Leeds 10 10 10 7 
			 Plawsworth 7 7 7 7 
			 Sheffield 6 6 6 6 
			 Temporary judges' lodgings (Hull) — — — — 
			 Carlisle — — — — 
			 Liverpool 7 7 7 7 
			 Manchester 9 9 7 7 
			 Preston 6 6 5 5 
			 Chelmsford — — — — 
			 Lewes 4 4 3 3 
			 Temporary judges' lodgings (Lewes) 0 0 0 — 
			 Maidstone 4 4 5 5 
			 Norwich 5 5 5 5 
			 Oxford 5 5 5 5 
			 Reading 4 4 4 2 
			 St Albans 4 4 4 2 
			 Caernarfon — — — — 
			 Cardiff 6 6 6 5 
			 Chester 5 3 4 4 
			 Mold 3 3 3 — 
			 Swansea 4 4 4 2 
			 Bristol 7 5 4 4 
			 Exeter — — — — 
			 Plymouth — — — — 
			 Truro — — — — 
			 Winchester 9 8 7 5 
			  119 116 112 91 
		
	
	
		Schedule of right of occupation by judges' lodgings and summary valuation of freehold properties as at 30 September 2001
		
			 Lodging Freehold Leasehold License Other 
		
		
			 Birmingham * — — — 
			 Leicester — — * — 
			 Lincoln — — * — 
			 Northampton — — * — 
			 Nottingham * — — — 
			 Stafford — — * — 
			 Warwick — — — * 
			 Worcester — — * — 
			 Leeds — * — — 
			 Plawsworth * — — — 
			 Sheffield * — — — 
			 Temporary judges' lodgings (Hull) — — — * 
			 Carlisle — — * — 
			 Liverpool — * — — 
			 Manchester * — — — 
			 Preston * — — — 
			 Chelmsford — * — — 
			 Lewes — * — — 
			 Temporary judges' lodgings (Lewes) — — — * 
			 Maidstone * — — — 
			 Norwich *
			 Oxford — — * — 
			 Reading * — — — 
			 St Albans * — — — 
			 Caernarfon — — * — 
			 Cardiff * — — — 
			 Chester * — — — 
			 Mold — * — — 
			 Swansea * — — — 
			 Bristol — * — — 
			 Exeter — * — — 
			 Plymouth — — — — 
			 Truro — — * — 
			 Winchester * — — — 
			  11,375,000.00 Notavailable Notapplicable Notapplicable

Judges' Lodgings

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many nights were reimbursed in relation to judges' overnight accommodation; and what the average cost was per night in each of the last four years; and if he will make a statement.

Christopher Leslie: holding answer 2 July 2003
	No re-imbursement was made in relation to High Court judges' overnight accommodation. The average cost per night in each of the last four years is set out in the table. These figures are based on the total annual expenditure of the lodgings network and therefore not only include the costs of providing accommodation, travel and subsistence for High Court judiciary and their clerks, but also the accommodation overheads (i.e. rent, rates, capital charge) of the lodgings themselves.
	
		
			  Average cost per night (£) 
		
		
			 1999–2000 774.06 
			 2000–01 886.36 
			 2001–02 844.38 
			 2002–03 815.71

Judges' Lodgings

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on progress of the review of judges' lodgings; and when it commenced.

Christopher Leslie: holding answer 2 July2003
	An internal review of judges' lodgings reported to the, then, Lord Chancellor in July 2000. Progress on a number of the administrative and staffing improvements has been good and new arrangements for transporting the judges to and from lodgings have now been introduced. We have, in addition, discontinued the use of Mold Lodgings. These measures will save in excess of £450,000 per annum in running costs.
	It is still our policy intention to introduce further efficiencies, particularly on rationalisation of lodgings ownership. I will be in a position to make a statement later this year.

Judges' Lodgings

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what discussions he has had with the judiciary on the reform of the judges' lodging system; and if he will make a statement.

Christopher Leslie: holding answer 2 July 2003
	Discussions have taken place with the judiciary and will continue to do so.

Legal Advice

Keith Vaz: To ask the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what action the Government is taking to make access to legal advice more readily available to poor people.

David Lammy: The key aim of the Community Legal Service (CLS) is to provide greater access to advice services to everyone within England and Wales. Financial eligibility limits apply to the provision of publicly funded Legal Help, ensuring that public funding is targeted to assist those on low incomes. In addition, through the work of over 200 CLS Partnerships, and supported by initiatives such as the Partnership Initiative Budget and the Legal Services Commission's Methods of Delivery Pilots, we are devising new ways of delivering frontline legal advice services to local communities. Regional Legal Service Committees and CLS Partnerships are responsible for co-ordinating the delivery of legal and advice services in their area and through an analysis of local legal needs, can ensure that resources are more effectively targeted to help the socially excluded and other vulnerable groups.

Legal Aid

Keith Vaz: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the legal aid budget is in 2003–04 for immigration and asylum work.

David Lammy: Legal aid expenditure for immigration and asylum forms part of a single asylum fund jointly owned by the Department for Constitutional Affairs and the Home Office. Discussions about the level of funding in relation to the single asylum fond with HM Treasury are still taking place and it is therefore not possible to answer this question yet.

Legal Aid

Keith Vaz: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the legal aid budget is for 2002–03; and what it was in 1991–92.

David Lammy: The legal aid budget for the financial year 2002–03 was £1,871 million; the budget for the financial year 1991–92 was £697 million.

Magistracy

Helen Jones: To ask the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what progress has been made in recruiting more people from the most deprived areas of Warrington North to the magistracy; and if he will make a statement.

Christopher Leslie: The Cheshire Advisory Committee is responsible for the recruitment of lay magistrates in Warrington. It has been working for some time on increasing awareness across all local communities of the opportunities for individuals to apply to become JPs. Recruitment in North Cheshire which includes Warrington North has been a particular difficulty therefore priority has been given to this area.
	The Committee is in the middle of a recruiting process that ends on 30 November. I will be in a position to write to my hon. Friend once recruitment has finished with final evidence of progress.
	Some recent initiatives include advertising in a Match-Day Programme for Warrington Rugby League Football Club and having a stand at the local Asda Superstore. There have been press releases and local radio coverage. Recruitment literature has been sent to local political party constituency offices and to the Council for Voluntary Service, and links are being maintained with the local Council for Racial Equality.

Microsoft

Norman Lamb: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much was paid to Microsoft in licensing fees by the Lord Chancellor's Department and its agencies in each of the last three years; and how much the Department for Constitutional Affairs and its agencies has budgeted to pay Microsoft for licensing fees in (a) 2003–04 and (b) 2004–05.

Christopher Leslie: The DC A has contracts for IT services with EDS, Liberata and Fujitsu, which include the provision of Microsoft licences. The licences are obtained direct by the three suppliers, and recharged as an element in the overall service charge. The Department also purchases a limited number of Microsoft licences outside these contracts. The amounts spent on these in the last three last financial years are as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 2000–01 124,155 
			 2001–02 66,148 
			 2002–03 71,100 
		
	
	Since these licences are procured by local business units within the Department there are no central monies specifically budgeted for licence fees in the financial years 2003–04 and 2004–05.

Parliamentary Questions

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many questions directed to the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs remain unanswered.

David Lammy: My Department as of today, 6 October, has eight unanswered questions in the House of Commons and two unanswered questions in the House of Lords.

Crown Dependencies

Alan Beith: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what proposals he has for the future of the Lord Chancellor's responsibilities in respect of (a) Jersey, (b) the Bailiwick of Guernsey and (c) the Isle of Man; and what discussions he has had with Crown Dependencies on these matters since he took office.

David Lammy: There are no proposals to change the relationship between the Crown Dependencies, the Crown and the UK. However, as part of the process of abolishing the office of Lord Chancellor, the Government proposes that his responsibilities as the Privy Counsellor primarily concerned with the affairs of the Crown Dependencies should be transferred to the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs.
	I visited Jersey on 21–22 September and am due to visit the Isle of Man in November. I also hope to visit Guernsey in the next few months.
	My discussions in Jersey covered a wide range of matters.

Supreme Courts Act

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the present role is of the Court established under the Supreme Courts Act 1981.

Christopher Leslie: The Supreme Courts Act 1981 established the Court of Appeal, the High Court and the Crown Court, collectively, as the Supreme Court of England and Wales. The Court of Appeal is divided into Criminal Division, which hears appeals from the Crown Court, and the Court Martial and Civil Division, which hears appeals mainly against decisions in the High Court and county court. The High Court has three divisions: Chancery Division, Queens Bench Division and Family Division, each of which exercises appellate jurisdiction and handles different types of civil work. The Crown Court is responsible for trials of indictable offences, appeals from magistrates courts and cases for sentence.
	We have proposed the creation of a UK Supreme Court, which will be the highest court in the whole of the United Kingdom and will take on the present jurisdiction of the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords as well as the devolution functions of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. This will not affect the function of the three courts that currently make up the Supreme Court of England and Wales.

Supreme Courts Act

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what new name he proposes for the current Supreme Court.

Christopher Leslie: We are consulting on how we should re-name the current Supreme Court the jurisdiction of which is England and Wales. To avoid confusion in the future, the title of Supreme Court will be reserved for the new court for the United Kingdom which will be created as a result of the Government's constitutional reform proposals, announced on 12 June 2003.

Appointments

Keith Vaz: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will list the names of the people whom the Lord Chancellor has appointed since 12 June; what posts they were appointed to; and for what term each person was appointed.

Christopher Leslie: A table detailing the names of those appointed by the Lord Chancellor since 12 June, the posts to which they have been appointed and the term of appointment has been sent to the hon. Member, and a copy placed in the House of Commons Library.

Civil Servants

Paul Burstow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many new entrants to the Civil Service were employed in the Department in each of the last five years; and how many in each year were aged 50 or over.

David Lammy: I apologise for the delay in replying to your question, this was due to an administrative error.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Mr. Alexander), gave to him on 24 June 2003, Official Report, column 658W.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Film Council

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the films that have been approved since 2000 by (a) the Film Council's New Arena Fund and (b) the Film Council's Premiere Fund; in each case, how much was invested; and how much has so far been recouped.

Estelle Morris: The Premiere Fund was established to stimulate commercial filmmaking in association with the private sector and improve the quality and appeal of British films. Details of the films supported and how much has been recouped are shown at Table 1.
	The New Cinema Fund was established to support innovative film-making to develop film culture, encourage creative excellence and nurture new talent. Details of the films supported and how much has been recouped are shown at Table 2.
	In addition, the New Cinema Fund has invested £1.3 million in over 200 short digital films. This initiative provides a platform for new and emerging talent to explore innovative ways of telling stories and is not designed to provide a financial return on the investment.
	The UK Film Council investment in a film is likely to take place well before the film receives a theatrical (or other) release, resulting in a considerable time-lag between the investment and any recoupment. Individual films are expected to generate income over many years through different "windows" of exploitation around the world (for example, DVD, Pay-TV, Free TV). The recoupment received to date is therefore only a small part of the return on the investment expected by the UK Film Council.
	
		Table 1: Premiere Fund
		
			 Title Net award Receipts 
		
		
			 Code 46 1,565,063 0 
			 The Importance of Being Earnest 1,320,000 227,925 
			 Gosford Park 2,000,000 2,000,000 
			 L'Homme du Train 500,000 0 
			 Mike Bassett: England Manager 2,103,000 1,688,965 
			 Miranda 849,315 112,933 
			 Sex Lives of the Potato Men 1,766,222 0 
			 Sylvia 2,450,000 0 
			 Valiant 2,580,645 0 
			 Young Adam 500,000 0 
			 Total 15,634,245 4,029,823 
		
	
	
		Table 2: New Cinema Fund
		
			 Title Net award Receipts 
		
		
			 AKA 101,250 0 
			 Anita and Me 680,000 17,879 
			 Ape 178,000 0 
			 Blind Flight 460,000 10,000 
			 Bloody Sunday 299,500 138,830 
			 Bodysong 350,000 0 
			 This Little Life (Entering Blue Zone) 241,000 0 
			 Hoover Street 175,000 0 
			 Kiss of Life (Helen of Peckham) 510,000 10,000 
			 Intermission 570,000 0 
			 Live Forever 212,249 1,760 
			 The Magdalene Sisters 620,000 64,477 
			 Noi the Albino 100,000 0 
			 One for the Road 240,000 0 
			 One Love 899,827 0 
			 Once Upon A Time in the Midlands 750,000 262,485 
			 Revengers Tragedy 510,000 10,000 
			 Tomorrow La Scala (Sweeney) 247,406 0 
			 This is not a Love Song 289,650 13,047 
			 Touching the Void 335,000 0 
			 Total 7,768,882 528,478 
		
	
	Note:
	The figures given in the tables relate to films on which the UK Film Council had entered into contracts by 30 June 2003, and therefore do not include all of the awards made to date. Some of the films listed are still in production and have therefore not started to recoup funding.

National Lottery

Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent assessment she has made of lottery funding for projects in seaside towns.

Estelle Morris: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not made any recent assessment of lottery funding specifically for projects in seaside towns. However, since the introduction of the National Lottery Act 1998, and changes to policy directions, distributors have increasingly focussed on areas of social and economic deprivation, including seaside resorts. The Government remains committed to ensuring that all parts of the country should have access to lottery funds. Many areas, suffering wider social and economic deprivation, need extra support to develop and put in applications of a quality that will succeed. The National Lottery Funding Decision Document, published in July, contained proposals to make it easier for communities to access lottery grants.

Ministerial Engagements

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what sporting engagements she has attended in her official capacity since January, broken down by category.

Tessa Jowell: Since January I have visited the following sporting events in my official capacity:
	
		
			 Event Date 
		
		
			 Arsenal v Chelsea 1 January 2003 
			 England v Australia Football Match 12 February 2003 
			 World Indoor Athletics Championships 16 March 2003 
			 London Marathon 13 April 2003 
			 Wimbledon Tennis Championships 6 July 2003

Royal Residences

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the plans are for each of the buildings for which her Department is responsible which were occupied by Her Late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.

Richard Caborn: Clarence House is the only building that was occupied by the late Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother for which the Department is responsible. Clarence House has recently been refurbished as the official London residence for His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales, Prince William and Prince Harry, to provide office accommodation for his immediate staff and to enable His Royal Highness to carry out his official duties.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Asbestos

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been spent by his Department and its agencies on (a) asbestos surveys and (b) the management and removal of asbestos since 1 January 2001; and what budget is available to (i) commission asbestos surveys and (ii) manage and remove asbestos from buildings in (A) 2003 and (B) 2004.

Maria Eagle: A programme of surveys and risk assessments, covering all buildings occupied by this Department, is being carried out and it is anticipated that this will be completed by April 2004. This Department is expected to be fully compliant with the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations by the required date of 21 May 2004. No estimate has been made of the cost of these actions so far or of the likely future cost. However, the majority of the Estate occupied by this Department was transferred, for value, to Land Securities Trillium in 1998. Under the terms of the contract they are responsible for arranging and funding the surveys and risk assessments and also taking necessary action for the removal or management of any asbestos found.

Child Care

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps are being taken to (a) train and (b) recruit people in the child care sector; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: I have been asked to reply.
	Child care is an important community resource, supporting parents to work, learn and study. Good quality child care supports better outcomes for children. A skilled and qualified child care workforce is essential to meet our objective to increase the availability of high quality child care for all age groups.
	We provide for the training of child care workers through the Learning and Skills Council, and through funding allocated to local authorities and their Early Years Development and Child care Partnerships. It is for local LSCs and local authorities to assess needs in their areas and develop plans to ensure the training delivered best meets them. We issued joint guidance with LSC to encourage local planning for workforce development.
	A national child care recruitment campaign has been running since 2000 to encourage people to consider a career in child care. It includes television and media advertising, a variety of customised information and materials, a national orderline and a website with order facility. Local authorities promote careers in child care using a range of materials and events, working with local partners such as Jobcentre Plus, Careers Services, providers and sector organisations to provide practical help to potential recruits.
	We issued guidance to local authorities in July 2003, including activities to promote training and recruitment. The General Sure Start Grant includes £129.9 million for workforce development for the two years 2004–06, which covers training and recruitment for child care and early years workers.

Child Support Agency

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the efficiency of information technology where the Child Support Agency is responsible for drawing payments from an individual for a number of children by different partners.

Chris Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to my hon. Friend.
	Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. David Drew, dated 26 September 2003
	The Secretary of State in replying to your recent Parliamentary question about the Child Support Agency promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You ask for a statement on the efficiency of IT where the CSA is responsible for drawing payments from an individual for a number of children by different partners.
	The child support computer system has been designed to support and reflect the change in policy under the new child support scheme. This means that it will allocate payments received from Non Resident Parents equally between all the relevant Parents with Care based on the number of qualifying children. However, we recognise that in implementing the new child support scheme arrangements and introducing a complex new IT system that there will be teething problems. Where problems occur we aim to respond quickly and to ensure that these do not adversely affect the client.
	A report on progress in the implementation of the new child support scheme was placed in the Library on 14 July 2003.

Crosby

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many times he has visited Crosby in his official capacity; and what the purpose was of each visit.

Andrew Smith: Since becoming the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in May 2002, I have not yet had the opportunity to visit the hon. Member's constituency.

Departmental Staff

Howard Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) special advisers, (b) press officers, (c) civil servants, (d) advisers to civil servants and (e) permanent staff were working for the Department in each year since 1996.

Maria Eagle: Information on the numbers of staff in civil service Departments and agencies is published in Table C of "Civil Service Statistics" which covers permanent staff numbers in each Department and agency from 1995 to 2002. Copies of the publication are laid in the Libraries of both Houses.
	The Department for Work and Pensions was created in June 2001 merging staff from the Department of Social Security and the Employment Service. Information in respect of the Department for Work and Pensions first becomes available in the October 2001 publication. Prior to this, information for the two former Departments is shown separately. Information on staffing in respect of the former Department of Social Security is in the publications from 1995 until April 2001. Information in respect of staffing in the former Employment Service is included with those of the Department for Education and Employment and is also included in publications from 1995 to 1 April 2001.
	The latest edition, based on April 2002 data was published on 24 July 2003. The figures include press officers.
	As at 16 July 2003, the Department employed two special advisers. The term advisers to civil servants is not recognised.

Incapacity Benefit

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to change the rules relating to the payment of incapacity benefit for disabled lay members of employment tribunals.

Maria Eagle: Any incapacity benefit (IB) recipient can work for up to and including £20 a week for an unlimited period, or work for less than 16 hours a week and earn up to and including £67.50 per week for 26 weeks. The latter can be extended for another 26 weeks if a New Deal for Disabled People Job Broker, Jobcentre Plus Personal Adviser or Disability Employment Adviser agrees that progress is being made towards work of 16 or more hours a week.
	In addition, a person receiving IB can work for one day a week as a panel member on appeal tribunals that specifically involve issues of disability, such as those dealing with disability living allowance or attendance allowance, without their benefit being affected. However, there are no current plans to introduce similar provisions for disabled lay members of employment tribunals who receive incapacity benefit.

Job Advertisements

Janet Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what measures are taken by the Employment Service to ensure that those businesses advertising jobs through job centres are genuine.

Des Browne: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive, David Anderson. I have asked him to reply to my hon. Friend.
	Letter from David Anderson to Mrs. Janet Dean, dated 25 September 2003
	As Jobcentre Plus is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to reply direct to your question asking what measures are taken by Jobcentre Plus, as the public Employment Service, to ensure that businesses advertising vacancies with us are genuine. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
	Our aim is to maintain a reasonable level of assurance about our vacancies without setting up a costly and cumbersome checking process that may deter genuine employers from giving us their vacancies. We have systems in place to establish the genuine nature of both the employers and their jobs. For example, the employer is required to provide us with a valid UK address, postcode and landline telephone number. If there is any cause for doubt a visit may be arranged to the employer by staff from the local Jobcentre Plus office.
	We maintain regular contact with all employers using our services. If we believe that an employer has deliberately misled us and we are unable to obtain assurances to the contrary, the employer's vacancies are removed from display.
	By and large these arrangements work well and we rarely receive complaints from customers as to the genuineness of employers. However, when we do receive such a complaint, we investigate the complaints thoroughly and promptly and, if appropriate, remove the company's vacancies from display. Should such an 'employer' attempt to advertise further vacancies, these are not advertised until the previous problems have been resolved satisfactorily.
	I hope this is helpful.

Jobcentre Plus

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many staff in JobCentre Plus were employed on temporary contracts; how many were employed in London; and if he will make a statement on his policy on the employment of temporary staff in JobCentre Plus;
	(2)  what consultation was held in 2002–03 with trade unions concerning the termination of employment of temporary workers by JobCentre Plus; what his policy is on consultation with trade unions on the employment and termination of temporary contract workers; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how many staff on temporary contracts employed by JobCentre Plus (a) in total and (b) in London had their contracts terminated in financial year 2002–03; in each case how many (i) had been employed for more than 49 weeks but less than 52 weeks, (ii) were employed for more than 52 weeks, (iii) were women and (iv) were from minority ethnic communities; and if he will make a statement on his policy towards the termination of employment of temporary contract workers.

Des Browne: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, David Anderson. He will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from David Anderson to Mr. Andrew Dismore, dated 25 September 2003
	As Jobcentre Plus is an Executive Agency, I have been asked to reply to your questions concerning the employment of temporary workers and consultation with trade unions by Jobcentre Plus. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
	I apologise for the delay in replying, which has arisen because of the need to obtain and verify the detailed information requested. Our payroll information does not distinguish between contracts that run their course or those which are terminated early. Information on contracts 'terminated' would therefore include both categories. It would not, however, include those who resigned In the course of their temporary employment.
	During 2002–03 Jobcentre Plus took on 6,034 temporary staff and 6,968 temporary staff left our employment. 5,269 of these had their contracts terminated—1,048 of them in London—and the detailed information you requested about these temporary workers is set out in the table below.
	
		
			  Jobcentre Plus London 
		
		
			 Temporary workers whose contracts were terminated in 2002/03 5,269 1,048 
			 In each case how many:   
			 Had been employed for more than 49 weeks but less than 52 weeks 433 85 
			 Were employed for more than 52 weeks(11) 3 0 
			 Were women 3,300 702 
			 Were from ethnic minority communities(10) 481 135 
		
	
	(10) This data is collected from application forms and is voluntary. It may therefore, not represent the total sample. Across DWP, ethnicity data is only currently held for only 67.7% of permanent staff.
	(11) It is not the usual practice to extend contracts beyond 51 weeks. One contract was extended while the individual was awaiting the imminent results of her application for a permanent appointment—for which she was unsuccessful so her contract was ended. Two contracts were extended to cover acute shortfalls of staff.
	Source:
	Information from FAMIS and REBUS Payroll Database
	Jobcentre Plus employs temporary workers for a number of reasons, for example, to help manage peaks of work and to aid release of permanent staff for training and preparation for major business change.
	All Jobcentre Plus permanent staff are recruited through procedures and criteria which meet the Civil Service Commissioners' rigorous fair and open competition criteria. However, to support flexibility and responsiveness Jobcentre Plus generally does not recruit temporary staff through such procedures, as they are only being recruited to meet a short-term need. All temporary staff are recruited through a procedure that includes an initial application form, a sift, an interview, and the completion of pre-appointment checks. The Department recommends that at least three applicants are interviewed for each post. Equality of opportunity is central to all the Department's personnel and recruitment policies.
	Jobcentre Plus informs temporary staff of the length of time they are likely to work for us by specifying the duration of their temporary contracts. This situation is then kept under review in relation to any changing business needs. Temporary contracts can be extended, up to a maximum of 51 weeks.
	Managers at all levels of the business discuss with their trade union representatives Jobcentre Plus overall staffing requirements on an ongoing basis. In particular, these discussions cover the need for recruitment or promotion exercises, redeployment of staff, or the need to manage staff reductions. Discussions take into account the established policies within the Department for Work and Pensions for dealing with these issues—policies which have been subject to consultation with the trade unions at Departmental level.
	In the case of managing staff reductions Jobcentre Plus has agreed principles for redundancy avoidance and handling with the trade unions which set out a number of measures to avoid redundancies of permanent staff. These measures make specific reference to reducing or eliminating the use of casual/temporary staff and contract employees.
	Between April 2002 and February 2003, Jobcentre Plus London region reduced its permanent staffing through a combination of staff moving to The Pension Service, other parts of the Department for Work and Pensions, other Government Departments and through natural wastage. In reaching the reduction in staffing figures, no permanent members of staff were dismissed or made redundant.
	A number of meetings, at both Regional and District level, have taken place with trade union representatives since last summer about the deployment of staff across London region. These meetings have also been supplemented by correspondence. Headcount target figures were shared with trade union regional colleagues in September 2002, and a discussion on measures required to manage towards those workforce numbers took place at a meeting on 25 September 2002.
	Subsequently, specific plans for releasing temporary workers were discussed with union representatives in January 2003. Detailed letters followed this meeting together with a further meeting, which took place in February 2003.
	I hope this is helpful.

Microsoft

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was paid to Microsoft in licensing fees by his Department and its agencies in each of the last three years; and how much has been budgeted for (a) 2003–04 and (b) 2004–05.

Des Browne: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) was formed in June 2001.
	Payments made to Microsoft by DWP in 2001–02 were £1,075 and 2002–03 were £282.
	Payments made direct to Microsoft are very low because the majority of purchases are made by the Department's main IT Service Provider on the DWP's behalf and are therefore not recorded as a Departmental purchase from Microsoft.
	Details of how much has been budgeted for in 2003–04 and 2004–05 cannot be provided since the Department do not budget for software licences by specific suppliers.

Ministerial Visits

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the (a) foreign and (b) UK visits he has made since 1 April; what the cost was to public funds of each trip; whom he met; and what gifts were received.

Andrew Smith: The Government publishes the overall costs of all Ministerial overseas travel and a list of all visits overseas by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500 on an annual basis. The list for the period 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003 was published by the Prime Minister on 16 July 2003, Official Report, column 482W. The next list for the period 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004 will be published at the end of the financial year.
	In respect of gifts received, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, on 14 March 2003, Official Report, column 482W.
	Between 1 April and 16 July, I have made a number of visits in the UK, the individual cost of each could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

Pension Credit

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in what circumstances and for what reason, under pension credit legislation, pensioners will receive an award of £1.20 instead of 60 pence for each extra pound of qualifying income; and whether those entitled to the £1.20 award will be informed of this.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 18 September 2003
	In very exceptional circumstances the effect of applying the normal formula will be that some pensioners will receive a reward of £1.20 instead of 60 pence for each extra pound of qualifying income. This may happen if the Pension Credit recipient is also receiving a working tax credit, spousal maintenance, or a social security benefit which does not count as rewardable income. It will only occur if their total income brought to account is greater than their appropriate guarantee level but the income which counts for the savings credit is less than the guarantee level. If this happens the pensioner will be able to ask the Pension Service for an explanation.

Pensions (Armed Forces)

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on the implications of the Pensions Green Paper for armed forces personnel's future pensions.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department has worked closely with MoD officials to ensure that the proposals have taken full account of the changes to policy likely to emerge from the Pension's Green Paper (published in December 2002).
	The proposals for the new schemes reflect recent announcements on pensions reform. For example, the replacement of the early Immediate Pension provision with an Early Departure Scheme will ensure compliance with Inland Revenue proposals to increase the earliest age from which a pension can be paid from 50 to 55.

TRANSPORT

Motor Vehicle Pollution

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will issue a statement on his Department's plans to reduce motor vehicle pollution over the next 10 years.
	 Question number missing in Hansard, possibly truncated question.

David Jamieson: The Government's Powering Future Vehicles Strategy, published in July 2002 and available via the Department's website, sets out our plans for promoting the development, introduction and take-up of clean, low carbon vehicle technologies and fuels in the UK. We will be publishing a first progress report on the implementation of this Strategy very shortly. Emissions of key air pollutants from motor vehicles are set to fall by about 30 per cent. over the next decade as progressively tighter European regulations come into effect for new vehicles, and as older, more polluting vehicles drop out of circulation. The Government is also playing a constructive role in discussions in Europe on future vehicle emission standards for the period from 2010 onwards.

Motor Vehicle Pollution

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what support the Department plans to give to low pollution fuel initiatives.

David Jamieson: The Government is always prepared to consider supporting the introduction and use of clean fuels where these offer proven environmental benefits. We have an excellent track record of incentivising cleaner fuels by means of fuel duty incentives. Decisions on fuel duty levels are a matter for the Chancellor of the Exchequer. My Department also runs a number of grant programmes which can help support the introduction of clean, low-carbon vehicles and fuels. Details of these are available via the Transport Energy website at http://www.fransportenergv.org.uk .

Asbestos

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 16 June 2003, Official Report, column 17W, on asbestos, if he will list the buildings identified as containing asbestos.

Tony McNulty: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Balloons

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  whether there is a standard of airworthiness in respect of tethered balloons for passenger transport;
	(2)  when he expects European Aviation Safety Authority type certification CS31TGB to be (a) promulgated and (b) enforced;
	(3)  what plans he has to give the Civil Aviation Authority powers to certify the safety of airworthiness of tethered balloons for passenger transport;
	(4)  if he will list the (a) telephone calls, (b) meetings, (c) correspondence and (d) other communication he has had with the (i) Civil Aviation Authority, (ii) European Aviation Safety Authority, (iii) Joint Aviation Authority and (iv) EU transport ministers on the certification of airworthiness of tethered balloons for passenger transport in the last 12 months;
	(5)  what research he has conducted on the safety regimes of (a) France and (b) Germany on tethered balloons for passenger transport;
	(6)  whether UK operators of tethered balloons for passenger transport will be able to operate such equipment after 28 September without (a) type certification under CS 31 TGB and (b) grandfather rights;
	(7)  what recent assessment he has made of the safety of tethered balloons for passenger transport;
	(8)  what assessment he has made of the employment prospects for the balloon industry, with particular reference to the effects of the lack of a certification standard for tethered balloons for passenger transport;
	(9)  what estimate he has made of sales volumes of tethered balloons for passenger transport in the next five years;
	(10)  what estimate he has made of the number of tethered balloons for passenger transport which have been (a) sold in and (b) imported into the UK in the past five years;
	(11)  how many officials at his Department have duties relating to the certification of airworthiness of tethered balloons;
	(12)  what his Department's responsibilities are in respect of Civil Aviation Authority certification for tethered balloons for passenger transport;
	(13)  what his Department's responsibilities are in respect of the airworthiness of tethered balloons for passenger transport;
	(14)  how many Civil Aviation Authority officials have (a) full and (b) part-time duties in relation to airworthiness certification;
	(15)  what advice he gives to manufacturers of tethered balloons on the (a) current and (b) proposed regulatory framework;
	(16)  what recent discussions he has had with (a) UK balloon manufacturers (b) the Civil Aviation Authority and (c) the European Aviation Safety Authority on the certification of airworthiness of tethered balloons for passenger transport;
	(17)  what plans he has to make provision for the temporary certification of airworthiness of tethered balloons for passenger transport, in advance of a European standard;
	(18)  how many (a) accidents, (b) injuries and (c) deaths to (i) passengers, (ii) operators and (iii) users of tethered balloons for passenger transport have been reported in the last five years;
	(19)  if he will list the communications he has had with ministers in other departments with regard to the certification of airworthiness of tethered balloons for passenger transport in the last 12 months;
	(20)  if he will make a statement on the negotiations with EU authorities establishing grandfather rights for regulatory authorities in France and Germany in respect of tethered balloons for passenger transport.

Tony McNulty: There are no international airworthiness standards in respect of tethered balloons for passenger transport.
	In the UK, the Air Navigation Order 2000 exempts such aircraft, described as captive balloons, from the requirement to be registered and thus from any airworthiness certification requirement. Tethered balloons carrying passengers are treated as fairground rides and their safety standards have been regulated by the Health and Safety Executive, rather than the Civil Aviation Authority. The Department for Transport accordingly has had no duties relating to the airworthiness of tethered balloons.
	Some other European countries have required tethered balloons to be registered and established national airworthiness certification requirements. Such requirements have been the responsibility of the states concerned and the Government has had no reason to research their safety regimes. UK produced tethered balloons sold into these countries have been required to meet national requirements which has caused some practical difficulties due to those states' unfamiliarity with UK Health and Safety Executive regulations.
	EC Regulation 1592/2002 on common rules in the field of civil aviation and establishing a European Aviation Safety Agency came into force in September 2002. Its primary objective is to establish and maintain a high uniform level of civil aviation in Europe and an additional objective is to facilitate the free movement of goods, persons and services. The regulation lays down safety essential airworthiness requirements for aircraft and aviation products within its scope, which includes tethered balloons, and empowers the agency to establish the type certification basis for each aircraft, to issue the appropriate type certificates and to conduct, either itself or through national aviation authorities, the technical inspections associated with such certification. This system will facilitate the marketing of aircraft, such as captive balloons, throughout the Community.
	The agency is required to take up its certification responsibilities by 28 September. Commission Regulations detailing how these responsibilities will be implemented are being drawn up to a very tight timetable and should be finalised very shortly. The UK has been fully involved in the process of drawing up these implementing regulations. The regulations will include transitional provisions to ensure that all aircraft types currently used in member states can continue to be used after 28 September, including UK built tethered balloons.
	There are also provisions to give grandfather rights to a large range of aircraft and products certified under previous regimes. Under specified conditions, the type certification basis for certain products will be deemed to be an EASA certification basis: this will apply to a number of types of tethered balloons certified in other member states. Such provisions cannot apply to UK designed balloons because there has been no UK type certification basis for them. The agency has to establish an EASA certification basis for these aircraft and work is in hand to draft the appropriate certification specification (Certification Specification 31 Tethered Gas Balloons, known as CS 31 TGB). The agency is using a team of national expert put together by the Joint Aviation Authorities to develop this specification, industry will be consulted and it is expected to be adopted early in 2004.
	EASA arrangements for outsourcing tasks to national aviation authorities will allow the CAA to carry out a range of certification activities on behalf of the agency after 28 September and we understand that the CAA could quickly begin the necessary certification work for UK tethered balloons on the basis of the current draft of the certification specification. The authority has been in touch with the manufacturer of tethered balloons in the UK about the EASA developments and will endeavour to ensure as smooth a transition to the new system as possible.

Food Expenditure

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent on food by his Department and by each agency for which it is responsible in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03; what proportion of that food by value was produced in the United Kingdom; what guidance he has issued to encourage the procurement of home-produced food; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The Department came into being on 29 May 2002. The information requested is given in the following table.
	The Department's catering services are all contracted out, with the contractor recovering costs through the sale of services. Expenditure on food in DfT is, therefore, limited to official hospitality provided by the Department and its Agencies, and canteen subsidies. Records of spend on food provided at some external conferences and similar events are not kept centrally and are not included.
	The Department does not generally prescribe the sourcing of goods and produce supplied to the Department or sold in staff restaurants, nor are contractors currently required to provide this information. The percentage and value of foodstuffs sourced from the UK under existing departmental catering contracts is not, therefore, readily available.
	DEFRA has published a "Guidance and action Sheet for buyers and their internal customers" that includes guidance on local sourcing and in particular how to remove obstacles to tendering faced by local and UK suppliers. I am taking steps to ensure that the guidance is implemented by departmental purchasers involved in the procurement of facility management/catering services.
	We are also working closely with DEFRA, and our agencies, to integrate and promote the principles of sustainable development into the public procurement of food and catering services.
	
		
			 Department/Agency 2001–02 hospitality expenditure (£) 2001–02 canteen subsidies (£) Estimated percentage of procured food produced in UK in 2001–02 Estimated monetary value of UK produced food supplied to organisation in 2001–02 (£) 
		
		
			 (Central) Department Not Available(12) None Not Available(12) Not Available(12) 
			 Driving Standards Agency 54,575 None Not Available(12) Not Available(13) 
			 Driver Vehicle and Licensing Agency 35,512 None 86 Not Available(13) 
			 Highways Agency 216,995 9,692 Not Available(13) Not Available(13) 
			 Maritime and Coastguard Agency 35,525 None Not Available(13) Not Available(13) 
			 Vehicle Certification Agency 2,000 None Not Available(13) Not Available(13) 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency 147,787 142,921 60 Not Available(13) 
			 Total 492,394 152,613 — — 
		
	
	
		
			 Department/Agency 2002–03 hospitality expenditure (£) 2002–03 canteen subsidies (£) Estimated percentage of procured food produced in UK in 2002–03 Estimated monetary value of UK produced food supplied to organisation in 2002–03 (£) 
		
		
			 (Central) Department (14)161,924 None Not Available(13) Not Available(13) 
			 Driving Standards Agency 28,364 None Not Available(13) Not Available(13) 
			 Driver Vehicle and Licensing Agency 92,188 None 87 Not Available(13) 
			 Highways Agency 212,103 13,461 Not Available(13) Not Available(13) 
			 Maritime and Coastguard Agency 46,587 None Not Available(13) Not Available(13) 
			 Vehicle Certification Agency 2,000 None Not Available(13) Not Available(13) 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency 90,357 33,980 60 Not Available(13) 
			 Total 633,503 47,441 — — 
		
	
	(12) The Department for Transport came into being on 29 May 2002, earlier figures for the predecessor department are not available.
	(13) This information is not held centrally, and is not readily available from catering service providers.
	(14) The Department for Transport came into being on 29 May 2002, the figure shown only includes available data from that date up to and including 31 March 2003.

Docklands Light Railway

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effects on the integrated transport strategy of bicycles not being allowed on the Docklands Light Railway.

Tony McNulty: None. The Docklands Light Railway is the responsibility of the Mayor and Transport for London.

Local Transport Finance

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the (a) unclaimed and (b) returned sums from each local authority's local transport plans for the last year for which figures are available.

Tony McNulty: Most capital funds paid through the Local Transport Plan system to local authorities are subject to financial flexibilities which are sufficient to ensure that none are unclaimed or returned. The exceptions relate to funds allocated for major local transport schemes—through grants under Section 56 of the Transport Act 1968, or through credit approvals.
	As Section 56 grants are claimed in arrears and are subsequently subject to audit, local authorities invariably claim only as much as they need to cover works undertaken on a particular scheme in a particular financial year, and no grant needs to be returned. The authorities that claimed less than the full amount offered by the Government for major schemes in 2002–03 are listed as follows.
	
		
			 Authority Scheme Unclaimed amount (£) 
		
		
			 Sandwell MBC Hagley Road Bus Showcase Route 300,000 
			 Tyne and Wear PTA Stephenson's Link 887,000 
			 Tyne and Wear PTA Metro Track Dualling 199,000 
			 Newcastle CC Quayside Public Transport 392,000 
		
	
	Where under-claiming is the result of a delay in delivering a scheme, the Government may decide to offer a corresponding additional grant for the scheme in subsequent years.
	There is no corresponding 'claim' for credit approvals. Following a local authority bid, the Government may decide to make credit approvals available, at times and levels decided by Ministers. Local authorities that chose not to take full advantage of credit approvals made available in 2002–03 are listed in the following table. These sums were subsequently reallocated as credit approvals for other local authority transport schemes.
	
		
			 Authority Scheme Unclaimed amount (£) 
		
		
			 Bolton MBC Quality Bus Corridor 155,999 
			 Bradford CC South Bradford Integrated Transport 2,122,000 
			 Cheshire CC Chester Park and Ride 1,480,000 
			 East Sussex CC A22 Dualling 23,000 
			 Gateshead MBC Centrelink 276,410 
			 Salford CC Trafford Road Improvement 617,000 
			 Staffordshire CC Biddulph by-pass 300,000 
			 Stockport MBC Manchester Airport Eastern Link Road 89,000 
			 Tyne and Wear PTA Stephenson Link 50,000 
			 Tyne and Wear PTA Metro Track Dualling 300,000 
			 Warwickshire CC Nuneaton Development Project 240,000

M6

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect that the charge for lorries using the M6 toll road will have on lorry movements on the non-tolled M6 motorway.

David Jamieson: Since the announcement of the toll prices the Highways Agency have not carried out any assessment.
	Following the opening of the Toll Road, the Highways Agency in conjunction with the Concessionaire will carry out a review of flows along the adjacent network together with flows on the toll road.
	Under all charging scenarios, the net relief to the M6 was forecast to be quite small. Long distance through traffic which transfers onto the M6 Toll, which represents about one third of M6 traffic, will release capacity on the M6 which will be taken up by local traffic, thus providing significant relief to many local roads.

M6

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what powers he has to alter the charges for using the M6 toll road.

David Jamieson: The Secretary of State has no powers to alter the charges. Under the terms of the concession agreement signed in 1992, the Concessionaire (Midland Expressway Ltd.) is responsible for all aspects of the M6 toll's operation, including the level of tolls.

M6

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consultations he had with the private operator of the M6 toll road over the setting of the initial charges for users; and what representations he made to the operator.

David Jamieson: The concession agreement places no obligation on the Concessionaire to consult with the Secretary of State before setting toll charges. Under the terms of the concession agreement signed in 1992, the Concessionaire (Midland Expressway Ltd.) is responsible for all aspects of the M6 toll's operation, including the level of tolls.

Mapeley Steps Contract

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the then Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and Regional Affairs was a party to the agreement between the Inland Revenue and Customs and Excise and Mapeley Steps Ltd (Bermuda) in April 2001 to sell buildings; and whether he received advice from officials with regard to (a) the contract and (b) where the purchaser company was based.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
	The agreement for the transfer of buildings to Mapeley Steps Ltd. by the Inland Revenue and Customs and Excise was signed by officials of those departments pursuant to a general authorisation to sign documents on behalf of the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions in whom the majority of the Civil Estate is nominally vested.

Mersey Tunnels

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has received a full set of accounts for the Mersey Tunnels illustrating income and expenditure with appropriate notes and an auditor's certificate in the last 12 months.

David Jamieson: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 16 September 2003, Official Report, column 626W.
	Section 100 of the County of Merseyside Act 1980 does not require that the accounts sent to Ministers have to be accompanied by appropriate notes and an auditor's certificate.

Motorways

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from road hauliers and their associations on his proposal for use of motorway hard shoulders within the Active Traffic Management project.

David Jamieson: No formal representation has been received from road hauliers and their associations on the proposals for the controlled use of the hard shoulder within the Active Traffic Management project. However, as part of the preparation for the trial of Active Traffic Management on the M42, the Highways Agency commissioned research to assess user attitudes to the Active Traffic Management proposals. The views of HGV drivers that use the M42 were sought as part of this work.
	Representatives of the Highways Agency have also met and discussed the proposals for the M42 with a range of key stakeholders including the local emergency services. The road hauliers associations will be consulted in the future as part of the on-going stakeholder liaison.

Motorways

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to include in his public education programme the promotion of good lane discipline among the users of motorways.

David Jamieson: There is a specific section in the "Motorways" part of the Highway Code on lane discipline. The Department has also produced a leaflet 'A guide to safer motorway driving' which includes advice on lane discipline.

Passenger Railway Carriages

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passenger railway carriages there were in (a) 1993, (b) 1998 and (c) 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Figures are only readily available for the years 1995 and 2003. There were 9,979 vehicles in 1995 and 10,610 in 2003. This increase reflects both the fact that some operators have increased the number of services they provide and the statutory requirement to replace the Mark 1 rolling stock that is currently operated by the three franchises operating south of the river Thames (GoVia South Central, Connex South Eastern and South West Trains).

Public Transport

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures have been taken to extend public transport infrastructure since 1997; and what measures have been taken to ensure that the infrastructure is adequately maintained.

Tony McNulty: We have launched a major programme of investment through the 10 Year Plan for transport, published in July 2000. This comprises a £180 billion programme of public and private funding aimed at improving transport infrastructure and services across all modes. Major additions and enhancements to public transport infrastructure started or completed since 1997 include:
	High Speed Channel Tunnel Rail Link
	Heathrow Express rail line
	West Coast Main Line upgrade
	Chiltern Line double-tracking
	Rebuilding of Manchester and Leeds stations
	London Underground Jubilee Line extension
	London Underground modernisation
	Docklands Light Rail extensions to Lewisham and City Airport
	New light rail lines in Birmingham, Manchester, Croydon, Sunderland and Nottingham
	Guided busways in Leeds, Bradford and Crawley.
	The 10 Year Plan also included substantial increases in funding to improve the maintenance of infrastructure. Funding for local road maintenance has been doubled, with the aim of eliminating the long-term maintenance backlog by 2010. Network Rail is now focussing on reducing the maintenance backlog on rail, and plans toreplace 740 miles of track this year (compared to 300 miles achieved by Railtrack and in the run-up to privatisation). And substantial new investment is now going in through the PPP to tackle the long-term maintenance backlog on the London Underground.

Public Transport

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to invest in public transport infrastructure in the next five years.

Tony McNulty: Investment plans for transport over the current decade were set down in the 10 Year Plan for transport, published in July 2000. Up-dated plans were published in the progress report published in December 2002. Expenditure on public transport is not separately identified, but total investment (public and private) over the five years from 2004–05 on railways, and on non-roads transport by local transport authorities and the Mayor for London, is estimated to be around £48 billion.

Light Pollution

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance he has issued to highway authorities about light pollution resulting from road lighting.

Kim Howells: The Lighting Board of the Roads Liaison Group (which brings together representatives from national and local highway authorities across the UK) is producing a revised Code of Good Practice for Street Lighting. This will include advice on reducing light pollution. In the meantime, other guidance issued previously remains applicable.
	The Department of Transport published "Road Lighting and the Environment" in 1993 which gave advice on good street lighting practice to reduce sky glow and light pollution generally.
	The Department also contributed to "Lighting in the Countryside: Towards good practice", which was commissioned by the Department of the Environment (now Office of the Deputy Prime Minister). The document provides guidance to local authorities, highway planners and engineers and members of the public. It demonstrates what can be done to lessen the adverse effects of external lighting, including street lighting. The advice is applicable in towns as well as the countryside.

Road Safety

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many signs there are on trunk roads indicating that queues are likely; and what plans the Government has to eliminate the causes in each case.

David Jamieson: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

European Cohesion Policy

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her policy is on the Leipzig Declaration on European Cohesion Policy; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: The Government's position on the future of the EU Structural and Cohesion Funds was confirmed in a statement by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on 17 September 2003. Although some of the principles of the Leipzig declaration—for example, its emphasis on a strengthened Community regional and cohesion policy and an enhanced role for regional and local government—are reflected in the Government's approach, our overall position is somewhat different. In particular, we believe that richer EU member states should fund their own regional policy within an EU-wide agreed framework and we do not regard the current budget maximum, 0.45 per cent. of EU GDP, as a reference point for future Structural and Cohesion funding.

Arms Exports

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what export credit guarantee arrangements have been made to support the Defence Systems and Equipment Information exhibition held in London in September; and if she will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The ECGD has not made any arrangements to support the DSEI exhibition.

Arms Exports

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will take steps to ensure that end-user certificates used for arms exports carry (a) the serial numbers of the arms being exported, (b) the number of weapons to be transferred, (c) details of the transportation to be used to carry the shipment and (d) details of the route the shipment is to take.

Nigel Griffiths: End-user certificates must be consistent with the model format published on the Department of Trade and Industry's export control website. Precise details of information required on end-user certificates will vary depending on the nature of the proposed export and end-user. There are currently no plans to amend this format.

Arms Exports

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if, as part of her proposals for the secondary orders to the Export Control Act 2002, she will create a binding agreement with countries that receive arms exports from the UK that they will not re-export weapons of UK origin without first informing the UK Government.

Nigel Griffiths: The Government has no plans to introduce such binding agreements. The surest way to minimise the risk of UK arms being re-exported and ending up in the wrong hands is to carry out a rigorous assessment of export licence applications at the licensing stage.

Arms Exports

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information the Foreign Office passes to the export control organisations on emerging conflicts; and whether this information is then used for making decisions on reducing or ceasing shipments.

Nigel Griffiths: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office work very closely with the Department of Trade and Industry's Export Control Organisation, to keep them fully informed of any changes in circumstances that might affect export licensing decisions. The Export Control Organisation then establishes which pending applications and extant licences need to be re-examined. Applications have been refused, or extant licences revoked, if the changed circumstances warrant this.

Arms Exports

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps her Department has taken to increase the security devices used on end-user certificates.

Nigel Griffiths: Each page of a submitted EUC must contain an original signature and be dated. With each completed EUC, the end-user or consignees must provide a covering letter on their headed stationary signed by the same person who has signed the EUC. Both the EUC and covering letter must be in original format.

Arms Exports

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether contact details for the Export Control Agency are visible on end-user certificates.

Nigel Griffiths: End-user certificates are provided by the consignee or end-user of the goods to be exported. The Department of Trade and Industry's export control address is included on all export licences issued on behalf of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.

Arms Exports

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether there are provisions in the proposals for the Secondary Orders of the Export Control Act 2002 to regulate the provision of military and police training to embargoed countries.

Nigel Griffiths: Yes, where specified by the terms of the embargo.

Arms Exports

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether end-user certificates for arms exports set out the conditions under which the export licence has been granted.

Nigel Griffiths: End-user certificates (EUCs) are provided by the consignee or end-user of the goods to be exported and must be consistent with the model format published on the Department of Trade and Industry's export control website. Conditions under which the export licence has been granted are set out on the export licence issued on behalf of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.

Arms Exports

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the extent to which her proposals for export control accord with Clause 5 of the resolution on Export Control passed by the European Parliament on 19 June.

Nigel Griffiths: The Government's proposals for export control are fully consistent with Article 5 of the EU Council Common Position on the control of arms brokering, adopted on 23 June 2003.

Arms Exports

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what international agreements the UK is party to on small arms regulation; and how her Department is ensuring these commitments are maintained, with particular reference to the proposals on export control.

Nigel Griffiths: The UK fully supports the UN Programme of Action (POA) on Small Arms and Light Weapons and actively participated in the first Conference in 2001 and the follow up Biennial Meeting of States, which was held in July 2003 to review progress on implementing the PoA. To help control the supply of SALW, the UK is leading the global effort to develop common international standards on arms exports. In December 2002 the UK was instrumental in securing "Best Practice Guidelines in the Exports of SALW" in the Wassenaar Arrangement, a group of 33 of the world's major arms exporters.
	The UK signed the UN Protocol against the illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in firearms.
	We continue to work in partnership with other Governments, NGOs and industry on policies and projects to implement the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms. This includes £20 million (2001–04) to curb small arms proliferation worldwide. The UK provides funding for research, projects such as weapon destruction, building awareness of small arms issues.

Arms Exports

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of how the Government's proposals on transportation of small arms, set out in the Department's consultation on the Export Control Act, comply with Clause II.12 of the United Nations Programme on Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects.

Nigel Griffiths: The UK has fully taken into account it's international obligations on small arms, including the UN Programme of Action.

Arms Exports

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what reasons all the recommendations set out in Clause II.14 of the United Nations Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects were not included in the Department's proposals for export controls, with particular reference to the creation of a register of arms brokers.

Nigel Griffiths: The Government believe that licence applications should be scrutinised on a case by case basis and that it is impractical to maintain a register of brokers who have been 'vetted' by the DTI.
	The consultation document on the draft Export Control Bill explained that the Government proposes to register information on all those applying for licences, both for experts and for arms trafficking and brokering activities. It is intended that this database will be used for licensing and enforcement purposes, including on an international basis as appropriate.

Arms Exports

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what support her Department provides (a) financially and (b) in other ways to Interpol's international weapons and explosives tracking system; and what use her Department makes of the system.

Nigel Griffiths: None.

Arms Exports

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what studies her Department has (a) conducted and (b) collated on the export controls regime in (i) the US and (ii) other European countries.

Nigel Griffiths: The DTI maintains contact with officials in the export control regimes of other countries, for example through participation in the work of the international export control regimes and the EU Dual-Use Regulations Working Party. Collated systematic studies have not been carried out.

Arms Exports

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will amend her proposals on export control in response to the resolution passed by the European Parliament on 19 June calling on nation states (a) to adopt full extraterritorial legislation on export controls and (b) to establish registers for arms dealers.

Nigel Griffiths: The DTI can find no record of any resolution by the European Parliament on this subject.

Arms Exports

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what arms embargoes the UK has imposed since 1997 on countries in response to (a) armed conflict and (b) human rights violations.

Bill Rammell: I have been asked to reply.
	Since 1997 the UK has implemented mandatory UN arms embargoes on Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, Ethiopia/Eritrea and Liberia, an EU embargo on Indonesia and a unilateral embargo on Zimbabwe. The latter was superseded by an EU arms embargo in February 2002. The UN arms embargo on Sierra Leone from 1998 was in response to internal armed conflict between the rebel militia group, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), and the government. In 1999 an arms embargo was imposed on Afghanistan because of internal conflict. In 2000, a UN arms embargo was placed on Ethiopia/Eritrea due to armed conflict between the two states. It was terminated in 2001. The UN arms embargo on Liberia from 2001 was imposed (superseding the UN arms embargo UNSCR 788 (1992)) because Charles Taylor's government was supporting the RUF in Sierra Leone, and at war internally with a rebel opposition group, the Liberian United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD). The UN Security Council deemed that all of these conflicts represented a threat to international peace and security and therefore the Security Council acted under Chapter 7 of the Charter of the United Nations. An EU arms embargo was imposed on Indonesia in September 1999 because of conflict in East Timor; this was limited to four months and it fell away in January 2000. In February 2001, the UK imposed a unilateral arms embargo on Zimbabwe because of human rights violations involving repression by the government of the Zimbabwean public. In February 2002, the EU imposed an arms embargo against Zimbabwe for the same reason, which the UK now implements instead.

Arms Exports

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of how her Department's proposals for the secondary orders on export control will impact on the Government's commitment to improve human rights internationally.

Nigel Griffiths: The new controls will support the Government's commitment to human rights. Under current export controls, all licence applications received are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria that require the Government to give consideration to respect for human rights. The Government have made clear that these criteria will also form the basis for decisions on licence applications for exports subject to the new controls. By increasing the number of transactions subject to licensing, the new controls will increase the Government's ability to act to prevent human rights abuses.

Arms Exports

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her Answer of 9 June 2003, Official Report, column 630W, if she will make a statement on the submission to the consultation on Export Control from Fund for Peace which was e-mailed to her Department on 1 May.

Nigel Griffiths: Yes.

Arms Exports

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what reasons the National Criminal Intelligence Service was not included in the bodies consulted on the proposed legislative changes to export controls.

Nigel Griffiths: The DTI consulted other interested Government Departments, including the Home Office of which NCIS is a part, when formulating policy in this area.

Arms Exports

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether her assessment of US export controls included an analysis of the effect US export controls have on the competitiveness of US arms manufacturers.

Nigel Griffiths: holding answer 16 September 2003
	There is no assessment of the effect of other countries' export controls on the competitiveness of US arms manufacturers.

Asbestos

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 13 June 2003, Official Report, column 1096W, on asbestos, if she will list the buildings identified as containing asbestos.

Patricia Hewitt: For the Department of Trade and Industry's London Estate, the buildings identified as containing asbestos are listed:
	10 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0NN;
	Elizabeth House, 39 York Road, London SE1 7LJ; and
	Westfield House, 30 Knaresborough Drive, London SW18 4UT.

Atomic Energy Board

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what matters are dealt with in the 1952 Atomic Energy Board (minutes and papers); and if she will transfer those documents to the Public Record Office for public inspection.

Stephen Timms: These minutes and papers contain information relating to the civil and military nuclear programme in the early 1950s.
	They are retained in the Department for reasons of defence and security under section 3(4) of the Public Records Act 1958. As part of a continual programme of reviewing retained material their retention is currently being re-considered.

Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her Department's assessment is of the (a) environmental, (b) social and (c) human rights impacts of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline project in Azerbaijan; and if she will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The review of the ETC project is ongoing. Cover will only be provided if ECGD are satisfied that the relevant environmental, social and human rights impacts have been properly addressed and that the financial and project risks are acceptable.

Biopharmaceuticals

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the turnover was of the biopharmaceuticals industry in (a) Speke Garston and (b) Greater Merseyside in 2002–03.

Jacqui Smith: In August 2002, Merseyside had 14 biopharmaceutical companies with a turnover of £406 million for the period 2001–02. Specific figures for the Speke Garston area are not available, though the area has the highest concentration of biopharmaceuticals companies in the North West.

Blackouts

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent assessment she has made of the capacity of the National Grid to avert power blackouts in the UK.

Stephen Timms: The Government views with concern recent problems on the high voltage electricity transmission network that led to power cuts in London and the Midlands on 28 August and 5 September respectively. We have received a report from National Grid Transco (NGT) on the incident in London and we will shortly receive a report from them on the Midlands incident.
	The independent energy market regulator, Ofgem, and the DTI are jointly commissioning consultants to investigate the operational and technical issues surrounding these electricity supply interruptions. In the light of the findings, the DTIs Engineering Inspectorate will consider whether the Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002 were fully adhered to. Separately, Ofgem will consider whether any transmission licence obligations have been violated.

British Coal

Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made in reviewing the arrangements for apportioning surpluses in the pension schemes for former employees of British Coal.

Stephen Timms: I am advised that the current arrangements represent a good deal for the pension scheme members. Their basic pensions are secure even in times when, as is now the case for the Mineworkers Pension Scheme, investment performance has produced a deficit. Under the terms of the Guarantee, that deficit will be met by a transfer of several hundred million pounds from the Investment Reserve, which represents Government's share of pre-privatisation surpluses in the Scheme, to the Guaranteed fund to pay members' guaranteed benefits. And despite the deficit, Government have agreed to a Trustee proposal allowing members of the MPS to continue to receive inflation linked increases to their total pension (i.e. basic pension plus bonus) over the next three years.
	The DTI Department has held discussions with the Trustees of the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme and the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme on the future of the Government Guarantee for those Schemes, including the division of surpluses.
	Following those discussions the trustees were advised that the Government do not consider it would be right to adjust the current surplus sharing arrangements. Some other changes to the Guarantee arrangements were agreed, as were further discussions to consider possible different methods of paying for the Guarantee and also other ways of guaranteeing the bonuses that have already been awarded to members, while not representing a significant additional burden on the taxpayer

Broadband

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  whether she has asked for a regulatory impact assessment on forthcoming internet traffic management proposals explicitly to consider broadband rollout;
	(2)  what steps she is taking to ensure any forthcoming internet traffic management proposals are consistent with the Government's objective of making Britain the most competitive and extensive broadband market of all the G7 nations by 2005; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Blaby (Mr. Robathan ) on 14 April 2003, Official Report, column 488W.

Carbon Dioxide

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what (a) national and (b) international organisations the Department has consulted on plans to capture and store carbon dioxide.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 18 September 2003
	We are consulting a large number of UK organisations covering industry, academia and environmental bodies in considering the options for carbon capture and storage (CSS). This has mostly been through conference and seminar events. A full list of the organisations who have participated more fully in the development of our current position can be found at annex 1 of the "Review of the Feasibility of Carbon Capture and Storage in the UK". This report can found on the DTI website at http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/coal/cfft/co2capture/review.pdf. DEFRA have also been closely involved in the development of our conclusions. In addition to this we have held a public seminar in October 2002 at which representatives of Greenpeace and Bellona were invited to speak on the issue. Other NGOs, such as Friends of the Earth, the WWF and the RSPB also attended.
	Internationally, we have directly discussed CCS with the governments of Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany. CCS is also an area of interest included in the UK/US Cleaner Fossil Fuel Implementing Arrangement signed earlier this year. We have also been in touch with governments and industry in both Canada and Australia.

Chemicals Industry

Mike Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action she has taken to secure the future of the north-west chemicals industry; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 18 September 2003
	The chemical sector is very important to the north-west and DTI has worked very closely with the private sector lead North West Chemical Initiative to develop a strategy and action plan for the sector. The North West Chemical Initiative was established with the financial support of both the North West Development Agency and DTI.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has recently announced that £50 million worth of regional selective assistance has been awarded to chlorine manufacturer Ineos Chlor (subject to EU Commission approval) to help modernise its Runcorn facility on Merseyside. Over 2000 direct jobs at the plant will be safeguarded by the aid, part of a £389 million investment programme by the company, safeguarding around a further 8,000 jobs in associated businesses which are dependent upon the Runcorn site.
	The UK Government fully supports the objectives of the new European chemicals strategy. However, it considers that the draft legislative text published by the Commission before the summer would not create a workable, efficient system that will provide the right level of protection of human health and the environment while avoiding unnecessary burdens to industry. Indeed, the UK Government consider that as currently drafted the legislation would be both too costly and damaging for the chemicals industry (particularly small businesses) and not effective enough in terms of protecting human health and the environment. We are working with other member states and the Commission to ensure that there are substantial changes to the legislation before it is finally agreed.

Copyright Law

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to review copyright law in relation to publication of research.

Patricia Hewitt: I have no plans to review copyright law in relation to publication of research. The law clearly defines a copyright owner's exclusive rights under which he is, among other things, able to decide whether or not, and if so how, copies of his copyright work are issued to the public.

Copyright Law

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to review intellectual property rights as they apply to those working in institutes of higher education.

Patricia Hewitt: My Department maintains a close relationship with higher education institutions and has published guidance on managing intellectual property in higher education in co-operation with these institutions. I have no plans to review these matters specifically, but there may be recommendations from current reviews under way that impact on this area.

E-Working

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her estimate is of how many (a) businesses in the UK and (b) businesses regulated by the Financial Services Authority do not have access to (a) email and (b) the internet.

Stephen Timms: The information is as follows:
	(a) The DTI's International Benchmarking Study 2002 shows that of UK businesses, 12 per cent. do not have access to email and 9 per cent. do not have access to the internet. These figures are weighted by number of employees.
	(b) Unfortunately, no statistical information of this type is available for businesses regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

EU Copyright Directive

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what evidence she has taken on the implementation of EU Directive 2001/29/EC (May 2001).

Patricia Hewitt: We have received representations, both in person and in writing, from a very large number of organisations and individuals, including over 300 written responses to the consultation paper on UK implementation of EU Copyright Directive 2001/29/EC issued last year. These representations covered the views of a very wide range of interests and dealt with a great number of issues ranging from general concerns to detailed drafting points.

Export Credits Guarantee Department

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment is made of the environmental impact of products, goods and services for which ECGD guarantees are given; who makes that assessment; and whether such assessments are published.

Mike O'Brien: The nature of the environmental assessment varies with the size, sector and location of the project in question, but it includes consideration of the impact on water, air quality and atmospheric emissions, wildlife and habitats, degradation of land, unsustainable consumption of natural resources, use of hazardous substances, waste generation and noise.
	For low and medium potential impact cases the assessments are carried out by ECGD's in-house specialists. These assessments are not published.
	For high potential impact cases ECGD requires an in-depth Environmental Impact Assessment. These are normally produced by environmental consultants and are generally made publicly available by the project developer.
	Further details of ECGD's environmental assessment procedures are given in the 'Case Handling Process—Information Note' and in the guidance notes to ECGD's Impact Questionnaire, both of which are available from the Department's website (www.ecgd.gov.uk).

Fair Trade

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 14 July 2003, Official Report, column 17W, on the Everything But Arms Agreement, how many people in sub-Saharan Africa (a) have lived and (b) are predicted to live, on less that $1 a day between 1990 and 2015; and if she will assess the impact of the Everything But Arms Agreement on the number of people.

Mike O'Brien: Figures for sub-Saharan Africa, given in the World Development Indicators Report (World Bank) show the number of people who have lived or are predicted to live on less than $1 a day between 1990 and 2015 as follows:
	
		
			  Million people 
		
		
			 1990 241  
			 1999 315 
			 2015 404 
		
	
	These figures, as a percentage of the total population, are:
	
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 1990 47.4 
			 1999 49.0 
			 2015 46.0 
		
	
	There are as yet no estimates of the impact of the Everything But Arms Agreement.

Export Licences

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 16 May 2003, Official Report, column 463W, what account was taken of the Home Office guidelines that extra-territorial jurisdiction is permissible in cases where it is likely that the crime would otherwise not be judiciable.

Nigel Griffiths: holding answer 16 September 2003
	The Government took the guidelines set out in the Home Office Review of Extra-Territorial jurisdiction into consideration when deciding on the extra-territorial scope of the controls to be introduced under the Act. The proposed new controls are consistent with these guidelines.

Inward Investment

Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many jobs have been (a) created and (b) protected in the North East region by inward investment projects since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: The number of jobs that have (a) been created is 20,947 and (b) protected is 31,495 in the North East region by inward investment projects since 1997. This is based on information provided by companies at the time of announcement of the decision to invest in the UK. These figures include only those projects where Invest-UK and its regional partners were involved or, which have come to their notice.

Inward Investment

Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many inward investment projects there have been in the North East region since 1997; what the value of each project was; and what plans she has to attract future inward investment into the region.

Jacqui Smith: Invest-UK recorded 288 inward investment decisions in the North East region since 1997. This is based on information provided by companies at the time of announcement of the decision to invest in the UK. These figures include only those projects where Invest-UK and its regional partners were involved or, which have come to their notice.
	Invest-UK does not have a value figure, as many companies do not notify this.
	With regard to attracting future inward investment into the region, Invest-UK works in partnership with all of the UK's Development Agencies including One North East Development Agency, to attract the maximum level of inward investment and to market the UK's attractions for high quality investment.

Mobile Phone Charges

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received from consumer organisations on simplifying the charging structures of mobile phone companies.

Stephen Timms: None.

Modern Languages

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what (a) assessment she has made and (b) research she has commissioned on the commercial impact of (i) the declining uptake of modern languages courses at GCSE, A level and undergraduate level and (ii) the change in status of modern foreign languages from a mandatory to an optional subject at Key Stage 4.

Patricia Hewitt: Although the DTI has not commissioned any specific research on the commercial effects of the decline in the uptake of modern languages, We continue to monitor the situation for example making a point of asking established inward investors about the issues that concern them (currently they do not raise foreign language skills as such an area of concern).
	We were of course party to the work carried out by the DfES Steering Group which met under the Chair of Baroness Ashton (and included representation from the Nuffield Foundation, FCO, British Chambers of Commerce and Trade Partners UK) tasked with developing a strategy for improving foreign language teaching. While the study of modern foreign languages will no longer be compulsory at Key Stage 4 from September 2004, any pupil wishing to do will have an entitlement to do so. This statutory entitlement is to be welcomed as a way of strengthening of the work done at key stages 2 and 3 and of encouraging greater take-up of modern foreign languages during the 14–16 phase and beyond.
	We will of course be continuing to work with the DfES and others to monitor the situation.

Near Earth Objects

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures the Government has taken to fulfil each of the recommendations in the September 2000 Report of the Task Force on potentially hazardous Near Earth Objects; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: The Government issued their response to the Task Force Report in February 2001 and an update to the response was issued in January 2002. My noble Friend the Minister for Science will be meeting the former members of the Task Force in the autumn. A further update will be issued before the end of the year.

Postal Services

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what criteria are used to distinguish between rural and urban post offices.

Stephen Timms: The decision to classify a post office branch as urban or rural is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. The company classifies as rural any post office within a community of less than 10,000 inhabitants. Above that the post office is classified as urban. I understand that the company has a geographical mapping model that enables it to adopt a consistent approach to classification across the country.

Postal Services

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what consultations have been undertaken by (a) Postwatch and (b) Postwatch Scotland since 2001; and how much each of these has cost.

Stephen Timms: This is a matter for Postwatch and I have therefore asked the Chairman of Postwatch to reply directly to the hon. Member.

Postal Services

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the latest posting time is from each parliamentary constituency which will achieve first delivery of first class mail to the House the following day; and what the latest posting time is at the hon. Members' post office which will achieve next day first delivery of first class mail to each parliamentary constituency.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 18 September 2003
	This is an operational matter for Royal Mail Group plc. I have therefore asked the Deputy Chairman of Royal Mail to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Renewable Energy

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures she has put in place to develop the electricity grid to support the development of renewable energy resources.

Stephen Timms: The Government are clear that the electricity grid network needs to be developed to support more renewable generation. It is working closely with Ofgem to ensure that the costs of this required work is spread across the whole of the GB consumer base. An important part of this process will be the British Electricity Trading and Transmission Arrangements (BETTA), and these are currently under development.
	The Government are committed to bringing forward legislation in time to implement BETTA in April 2005. Through the Transmission Issues Working Group, Government meet with Ofgem, the Scottish Executive, the Wales Assembly Government and the Transmission Assets Owners to review the progress of this important work. Already an early success is the start of the required planning work required to strengthen transmission lines in Scotland to accommodate an initial 2 GW of new renewable generation.

Renewable Energy

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make proposals concerning the renewable obligation under the renewable energy policy to (a) change the wording defining biomass and (b) exclude raw material from this definition.

Stephen Timms: We have no plans to change the definition of biomass in the way suggested.
	A Statutory Consultation, The Renewables Obligation (Amendment) Order 2003, was published on 29 August 2003. Its main focus is a set of modifications to the co-firing rules to enhance the prospects for energy crops without a radical change to the Obligation. Consultation closes on 21 November 2003.

Renewable Energy

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made towards the 2010 targets of electricity sales from licensed electricity suppliers coming from eligible renewable sales.

Stephen Timms: In 2002, 1.7 per cent. of electricity sales from licensed electricity suppliers came from sources eligible for the Renewables Obligation; the comparable figure for 2001 was 1.5 per cent.
	In 2002, 3.0 per cent. of electricity generated in the UK came from all renewable sources; the comparable figure for 2001 was 2.6 per cent.

Renewable Energy

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  if she will make a statement on the implications for the future of renewable obligation certificate trading following the recent demise of TXU;
	(2)  if she will make an assessment of the performance of renewable obligation certificate trading.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 17 September 2003
	Renewables Obligation Certificate trading is a matter for the electricity industry.
	We are aware of the electricity industry's concerns regarding the consequences of TXU going into administration and the implications of a potential shortfall in the Renewables Buy-out Fund for the value of Renewables Obligation Certificates and the level of confidence in the renewables market.
	My officials are in discussion with the industry at present to discuss the implications of the potential shortfall and consider options for resolving the issue. I understand that officials from Ofgem are in discussion with the TXU administrator on compliance with the obligation.

Road Traffic Management

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she will answer the questions, references 117718 and 117719, on road traffic management proposals, tabled by the hon. Member for Twickenham for written answer on 5 June 2003.

Stephen Timms: I have answered the Member's questions today.

Royal Mail

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the effect on rail employment of the decision of Royal Mail to abandon the use of rail for post distribution.

Stephen Timms: I refer to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow, Baillieston (Mr. Wray) on 15 September 2003, Official Report, column 541W.

Small Businesses

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the start up rate was for small businesses in (a) the Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) Tyne and Wear, (d) the North East and (e) the UK in each year since 1997.

Nigel Griffiths: Business start-ups are measured officially by VAT registrations. The latest year for which VAT registration data are available is 2001. Data are not available for parliamentary constituencies.
	The VAT registrations threshold has risen during this period from 48,000 to 54,000. There is no accurate estimate of the number of companies that would be added to this total if the 48,000 threshold had not risen by more than the rates of inflation.
	
		VAT registrations 19972001, number and rate
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 
		
		
			 Number  
			 United Kingdom 182,570 186,250 178,460 183,325 175,455 
			 North East Government Office Region 4,170 4,215 4,230 4,280 4,050 
			 Tyne and Wear Metropolitan county 1,825 1,750, 1,785 1,800 1,675 
			 South Tyneside 190 185 205 180 175 
			   
			 Rate per 10,000 resident adults(15) 
			 United Kingdom 40 40 38 39 37 
			 North East Government Office Region 21 21 21 21 20 
			 Tyne and Wear Metropolitan county 21 20 21 21 19 
			 South Tyneside 15 15 17 15 14 
		
	
	(15) Mid-year resident adults (aged 16 and over)
	Source:
	Business Start-ups and Closures: VAT Registrations and De-registrations 19942001

Small Businesses

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what support the Government offers to new small businesses in the North East.

Jacqui Smith: Government support for new businesses comes in a variety of forms. The Business Link Operators (BLOs) put together programmes for start-up businesses, working with Enterprise Agencies and other partners, which are funded from a variety of sources, including: SBS core funding, residual SRB monies, RDA single programme funds, and European funds. In total, in the North East, the BLOs are spending around 3.6 million on start-up programmes (such as BL Tees Valley's Start Right in Business programme), and are contributing around 1.7 million to supporting incubation projects.
	Support programmes vary in content between sub-regions, but essentially offer a programme of advice and assistance in key areas where new businesses require help, eg producing business plans to help access finance; developing marketing programmes, managing finance and cash flow, etc. They may be able to offer subsidies directly, or secure funding through other partners.
	Help for start-up businesses does not end with the start-up programmes. LSC-funded workforce development, DTI-funded TPUK activities, and DTI's new products such as the RD) grant are part of the wider range of services available via BLOs which may be appropriate for young businesses.
	Access to Finance initiatives, such as the SBS-funded Regional Venture Capital fund (Capital North East) and Investor Readiness programmes (operated by Northern Enterprise and Entrust respectively), and the BL Tyne and Wear-operated regional Micro Loan fund can also benefit businesses in the early stage of operation, and lead to a more mature approach to business finance being inculcated into new businesses in a region where a grant culture has persisted. This is essential for the future growth prospects of businesses.
	Start-up programmes in the North East are becoming better co-ordinated, with closer working between BLOs, Enterprise Agencies and other partners. Examples include the new start-up consortium in Tyne and Wear, closer working relationships in County Durham, and the Start Right In Business programme in Tees Valley. The on-going RDA-led review of business support process will develop these co-operative approaches further.
	An RDA-led initiative Strategy for Success should lead, through the creation of centres of excellence and an DPR exploitation company, to the spin out of more businesses through the HEI sector.
	At national level, SBS is co-ordinating the development of a cross-Government national strategy for start up businesses. This will draw on the experience and research from partners around the country to create a consistent, evidence-based start-up proposition, to which local variations may be added. It will also develop a co-ordinated between DWP, DFES and other Government Departments which will result in easier access and interface with entrepreneurs. An early result of such co-operation is the No-nonsense Guide to Government rules and regulations for setting up your business. This has been well received by start-up companies and by business support intermediaries.

Small Businesses

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action the Government is taking to encourage entrepreneurs to set up their own businesses in the North East.

Jacqui Smith: The information is as follows:
	Enterprise Centres in six FE colleges in Tyne and Wear.
	Sponsoring Start a Business a day initiative by the Chronicle Newspaper Co-operative working with People into Enterprise and Women into the Network to run events helping budding entrepreneurs turn hobbies into businesses.
	Specialised programmes in decentralised advice centres in rural Northumberland, including motivational workshops and de-mystification sessions.
	A three-day rural enterprise event.
	Initiatives to encourage social enterprise such as School for Social Entrepreneurs and Regen School in Tyne and Wear and the work of the Community Enterprise team at BL County Durham. Co-operation being developed through NESEP (North East Social Enterprise Partnership) Women get into Enterprise programme, one of a number of initiatives to encourage enterprise in under-represented groups.
	Linking in with incubation projects to provide co-ordinated start-up support and advice.
	The RDA, ONE North East, has embarked on an ambitious programme to encourage more start up businesses by encouraging would-be entrepreneurs to take the plunge and start their businesses with the help of support programmes and agencies in the region, and in which the BLOs provide a key delivery role. This is using the flexibility of single programme funding to prioritise the entrepreneurship agenda in the NE to raise the relative start-up rate and encourage entrepreneurs to stay in the North East. Initiatives include:
	A major event last April, organised by BL Tyne and Wear and funded by the RDA and SBS, in which the regions' BLOs and Enterprise Agencies ran Start up shows in Tyne and Wear and Teesside and which would-be entrepreneurs could speak directly with advisers, other entrepreneurs, etc.
	This was followed by several local outreach events earlier this year supported by a regional enterprise PR campaign.
	The Enterprise Island programme in which progress of 10 would-be entrepreneurs was charted in a film.
	Initiatives are also being developed to boost graduate enterprise (building on programmes the universities have developed through HEFCE funding), and to further promote enterprise in schools building on Enterprise Insight, Young Enterprise, and other programmes.
	At national level, SBS is co-ordinating the development of a cross-Government strategy to encourage an enterprise culture. Emerging ideas for this will be closer co-operation with Job Centres and the benefits system (including ideas pioneered by Inbiz, a Teesside company), and with careers services to encourage self-employment and business start up as a career choice. The strategy is also expected to develop ideas for reducing risk to individuals contemplating business start-up.

Subcontinent

Ann Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on bilateral trade relations with (a) India, (b) Bangladesh and (c) Pakistan.

Mike O'Brien: Trade relations between the UK and the South Asia markets are strong.
	India, Pakistan and Bangladesh provide a wide range of business opportunities for UK companies. Trade Partners UK and Invest UK, the two operating arms of British Trade International (BTI), deliver a package of services to British and South Asian companies wishing to do business with each other.
	BTI teams in our High Commission offices in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh and in the English regions are available to provide support and advice to British companies wishing to do business with all three countries.
	In 2002 the value of the United Kingdom's bilateral trade (in goods) with the three markets was:
	
		 million
		
			  UK exports UK imports Total 
		
		
			 India 1,768 1,870 3,638 
			 Bangladesh 68 482 550 
			 Pakistan 234 488 722 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures for trade in services in 2002 are currently unavailable.

Union Learning Representatives

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions she has had with trade union representatives on the development of union learning representatives.

Ivan Lewis: I have been asked to reply.
	Union Learning Representatives are a key component of the Government's new Skills Strategy. In developing the strategy we consulted widely and met with trade union representatives on a number of occasions to discuss the vital role that unions and their learning representatives have to play. The TUC is, of course, a key member of the Skills Alliance which will bring together Government, employers and trade unions to oversee the future development and delivery of the Skills Strategy.
	Union Learning Representatives have already proved to be highly effective in helping to encourage workers to improve their skills, particularly workers with low skills and those with literacy and numeracy problemsthe very people who so often miss out on learning opportunities. That is why we introduced legislation to give them statutory backing and rights to time off with pay which came into effect at the end of April 2003. This will help to reinforce the invaluable role that Union Learning Representatives are currently playing in the workplace to promote workforce development and open up new training opportunities for their colleagues.
	There are currently around 6,500 Union Learning Representatives. The new statutory rights will help their numbers to grow and we look forward to seeing a national network of over 22,000 trained Union Learning Representatives in place by 2010, helping over 250,000 workers a year into learning.

TREASURY

Breast Cancer

Julian Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of breast cancer cases diagnosed in the United Kingdom in each of the past five years.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Dr. Julian Lewis, dated 30 September 2003
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question concerning the estimate of the number of breast cancer cases diagnosed in the United Kingdom in each of the past five years. I am replying in his absence. (131314)
	The number of registrations of newly diagnosed cases of breast cancer in females in the United Kingdom in the most recent five years for which data are available are given in the following table. The figures shown are for females only and exclude the small number of breast cancer cases that occur in men.
	
		Registrations of newly diagnosed cases of breast cancer in females, UK, 19962000
		
			  Females 
		
		
			 1996 37,000 
			 1997 39,300 
			 1998 39,500 
			 1999 40,900 
			 2000(16) 40,400 
		
	
	(16) Data for Scotland for 2000 are not yet available. The figure for the UK has been estimated using 1999 data for Scotland.
	Sources:
	National Cancer Intelligence Unit, Office for National Statistics.
	Welsh Cancer Intelligence  Surveillance Unit.
	Scottish Cancer Registry, National Health Service in Scotland.
	Northern Ireland Cancer Registry

European Union

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the change in Britain's annual financial contribution to the European Union will be after 1 May.

Ruth Kelly: The Government publishes a trended forecast of the UK's net contribution to the EC Budget. The latest forecast, which was published in the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Budget Report (HC 500 (Table C11, footnote 3)), covers the period up to 200506 and includes the additional costs to the UK arising from enlargement.

European Union

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost of membership of the European Union was in each year since 1997; and what these figures are expressed as a sum per taxpayer.

Ruth Kelly: Details of the United Kingdom's net contribution to the EC budget for each of the years 199798 to 200203, including an estimate per taxpayer, are set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Net contribution ( million) Net contribution per taxpayer () 
		
		
			 199798 2,567 98 
			 199899 4,111 153 
			 19992000 3,325 (17) 
			 200001 4,318 147 
			 200102 1,488 51 
			 200203 3,097 105 
		
	
	(17) Estimates of taxpayers based on the 19992000 Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI) have been temporarily withdrawn.
	Note:
	Figures for 199798 to 200102 are outturn, the figure for 200203 is an estimated outturn.
	Sources:
	Net contribution figures taken from Table 3.1 of 2003 European Community Finances White Paper Statement on the 2003 EC Budget and measures to counter fraud and financial mismanagement (Cm 5800).
	Net contribution per taxpayer calculated by dividing net contribution figure by number of taxpayers shown in Table 1.4 of Inland Revenue Statistics.

European Union

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the financial management of the European Union.

Ruth Kelly: The Government publish an annual statement on European Community Finances, which includes details of recent developments in financial management and the fight against fraud. The most recent Statement was published in April 2003 (Cm 5800).

Financial Services

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out the timetable for mandatory electronic reporting required for all businesses regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

Ruth Kelly: The matter raised in this question is the responsibility of the Financial Services Authority. The FSA will be writing to the hon. Member.

Financial Services

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he has taken since 1997 to reduce fraud in the financial services industry in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The Financial Services Authority has been established to regulate the financial services industry effectively, and has been given a specific statutory objective to reduce the potential for financial firms to be used for financial crime, including fraud.

Household Incomes

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the number of adults living on an income of less than (a) 5,000, (b) 7,500, (c) 10,000, (d) 15,000, (e) 20,000, (f) 30,000, (g) 35,000, (h) 40,000, (i) 50,000, (j) 75,000, (k) 100,000, (l) 150,000, (m) 200,000, (n) 500,000, (o) 1 million and (p) 10 million in the latest year for which information is available.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is provided for households and is set out in the table. The income definition used is household net equivalised income before housing costs.
	
		
			 Number of households in 200001with net equivalised(18) income of less than Number(19) (thousand) 
		
		
			  
			  
			 (a) 5,000 483 
			 (b) 7,500 1,857 
			 (c) 10,000 4,651 
			 (d) 15,000 10,950 
			 (e) 20,000 15,872 
			 (f) 30,000 21,090 
			 (g) 35,000 22,319 
			 (h) 40,000 23,048 
			 (i) 50,000 23,795 
			 (j) 75,000 24,290 
			 (k) 100,000 24,439 
			 (l) 150,000 24,504 
			 (m) 200,000 24,523 
			 (n) 500,000 24,576 
			 (o) 1,000,000 24,586 
			 (p) 10,000,000 24,586 
		
	
	(18) Income is adjusted or equivalised to take into account variations in both size and composition of the household. This process reflects the notion that a family of several people needs a higher income than a single person in order for both households to enjoy a comparable standard of living. Incomes of larger families are adjusted downwards and incomes of smaller households adjusted upwards.
	(19) This is based on IGOTM Tax/Benefits model using the Family Resources Survey 200001.

Advertising Campaigns

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the publicity and advertising campaigns run by his Department since April 2002, specifying the (a) purpose, (b) cost to public funds, (c) number of staff involved and (d) method of evaluation in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: Information in the required format for all Departments for which the Chancellor has responsibility could be provided only at disproportionate cost. HM Treasury has conducted no such campaign since April 2002. Other Departments have carried out publicity campaigns in connection with, for example, their responsibilities for enforcing the law and assisting taxpayers with their obligations. Information about many such campaigns is included in the annual reports published by these Departments. Details were also provided in my answer to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 5 March 2003, Official Report, column 1062W. Planned expenditure for 200203 was provided in the Paymaster General's answer to the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow) on 18 June 2003, Official Report, column 232W.

Debt

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average (a) unsecured debt per person and (b) annual income per person was in each year since 1997.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell to Dr. Vincent Cable, dated 30 September 2003
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question on unsecured debt per person and annual income per person. I am replying in his absence. (129931) The information requested is shown in the table below. The data for unsecured debt (households' total financial liabilities other than secured debt) and income (households1 gross disposable income) used in the calculations are national accounts series for the combined household and non-profit institutions serving households (NPISH) sectors. The accounts for the household and NPISH sectors are currently combined; separate estimates are not available.
	The average annual disposable income and unsecured debt person can be obtained by dividing the appropriate national accounts totals by the UK population aged 16 and over. These are shown for the years requested in the table.
	
		Average annual income and unsecured debt per person, UK, 19972002
		
			  Annual Incomeper person () Unsecured Debtper person () 
		
		
			 1997 12,400 3,540 
			 1998 12,680 3,790 
			 1999 13,330 4,090 
			 2000 13,980 4,470 
			 2001 14,980 4,900 
			 2002 15,310 5,330

Capital Gains Tax

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of capital gains tax is paid at the 40 per cent. rate of tax; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: 81 per cent. of the capital gains tax accrued in 200001 was paid at the 40 per cent. rate of tax.

Employment Disincentives

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effects on (a) wage inflation, (b) labour market productivity and (c) the economy of the disincentive for those on low incomes to change jobs because of short term cash flow problems.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government are committed to making work pay and to supporting low-income households in sustaining employment. The new tax credits help low-income families and working households by providing targeted financial support according to need and are designed to reduce households' uncertainty about their income when circumstances change. The Government are also encouraging low-income households to save more, helping them to deal with short-term cash flow problems. No assessment has yet been made of the impact of these policies on wage inflation, labour market productivity or the economy.

Corporation Tax

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many companies paid corporation tax at (a) the main rate, (b) the small companies rate and (c) a zero rate in each year from 199091 to 200304; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Information on the numbers of companies liable for tax at different rates is published in Table 11.3 available on the Inland Revenue's website: www.inlandrevenue.qov.uk/stats/index. Figures for 200102 will be published shortly.

Corporate Venturing Scheme

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the costs of the Corporate Venturing Scheme announced in the March 2000 Budget for each year from 200001 to 200506; what assessment he has made of the economic effects of this scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The estimated cost of tax reliefs for the Corporate Venturing Scheme from 200001 to 200203 are:
	
		 million
		
			 Tax year Cost of Tax reliefs 
		
		
			 200001 5 
			 200102(20) 2 
			 200203(20) 1 
		
	
	(20) Figures for more recent years are subject to revision, as more information becomes available.
	With a long-term measure such as CVS the full effects on outcomes such as investment, productivity and output will not become apparent for a number of years, in the meantime we will continue to monitor activity and expenditure.

Customs and Excise

Mike Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what seizures were made by Customs officials at (a) Newhaven, (b) Poole and (c) Isle of Wight ports in each of the last five years for which there are records of (i) drugs, (ii) firearms, (iii) pornography, (iv) illegal meat, (v) cigarettes and tobacco and (vi) other goods; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: Seizures by number, and where applicable volume, for drugs, firearms, cigarettes, pornography and other goods for the requested ports are as follows. Data for the financial years prior to 200001 are not available.
	
		
			  200203 200102 200001 
			 Number of seizures (volumes inbrackets where applicable) Newhaven Poole Newhaven Poole Newhaven Poole 
		
		
			 Class A Drugs 1 2 0 0 0 0 
			  (36.75kg) (1.5kg) 
			 Firearms and ammunition 0 1 1 1 n/a n/a 
			   (8) (218) (5)   
			 Pornography 0 0 2 1 n/a n/a 
			 Cigarettes 43 81 157 173 17 92 
			  (3,863,276) (2,949,678) (370,520) (2,480,239) (60,060) (712,140) 
			 Other(21) 0 10 1 8 0 0 
			   (11) (1) (8)   
		
	
	(21) Includes gas canisters and offensive weapons.
	There are no recorded seizures of these commodities from the Isle of Wight ports for the period in question.
	Responsibility for illegal imports of meat and animal products passed to Customs on 11 April 2003 from DEFRA. Customs have no recorded seizures of illegal meat from the requested ports for the period in question.

Departmental Employment

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many jobs under the remit of his Department in (a) the core department, (b) non-departmental public bodies, (c) executive agencies and (d) independent statutory bodies, organisations and bodies financially sponsored by his Department are in (i) Scotland, (ii) each region in England, (iii) Wales, (iv) Northern Ireland and (v) overseas, broken down by (A) whole-time equivalent jobs and (B) the percentage per individual department, body or organisation.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to Table D of the annual publication 'Civil Service Statistics', which is available in the Library of the House.
	This information is also available on the Cabinet Office Statistics website: http://www.civil-service.gov. uk/statistics/css.htm.
	The Treasury has two advisory non-departmental public bodies and one public corporation:
	
		
			 NDPB Staff number Location 
		
		
			 Statistics Commission 7 England 
			 Public Services Productivity Panel Unit No staff(12 members) n/a 
			 Bank of England(22) 2,187 England 
		
	
	(22) Bank of England is a Public Corporation.
	Four parliamentary bodies are financially sponsored by the Treasury:
	
		
			 Bodies Staff number Location 
		
		
			 The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association 7 England 
			 The British American Parliamentary Group 1 (part-time) England 
			 The Inter-parliamentary Group 7 England 
			 The British-Irish Inter-parliamentary Body 1 full-time,1 part-time England

Departmental Employment

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) special advisers, (b) press officers, (c) civil servants, (d) advisers to civil servants and (e) permanent staff were working for his Department in each year since 1996.

John Healey: The Treasury does not employ advisers to civil servants.
	The staffing figures for permanent staff (civil servants) at HM Treasury since 1996 are published on the Cabinet Office web site at www.civil-service.qov.uk/statistics.
	For the number of Press Officers employed by HM Treasury since 1996, I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answers given by my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 10 February 2002, Official Report, column 614W and the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow) on 10 April 2003, Official Report, column 400W.
	The table following lists the number of Special Advisers in each year since 1996. Additionally, the Chief Economic Adviser has been appointed on Special Adviser terms since October 1999.
	
		Number of special advisers in each year since 1996
		
			 Year(23) HM Treasury Special Advisers(24) 
		
		
			 1996 2 
			 1997 3 
			 1998 4 
			 1999 3 
			 2000 3 
			 2001 4 
			 2002 4 
			 2003 3 
		
	
	(23) At 1 April.
	(24) These figures do not include members of the Council of Economic Advisers that was established in 1997.

Economic and Monetary Union

David Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his statement of 9 June 2003, Official Report, column 415, on EMU, what the (a) composition and (b) remit is of the euro preparation committees in (i) Scotland, (ii) Wales and (iii) Northern Ireland.

Ruth Kelly: The composition and remits of the Euro Preparations Committees for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are set out as follows:
	(i) Scotland Euro Preparations Committee
	(a) Composition
	Scotland Office: Right hon. Alistair Darling MP, Secretary of State, David Crawley, Head of Office;
	Scottish Executive: Right hon. Jack McConnell MSP, First Minister; right hon. Jim Wallace QC MSP, Deputy First Minister and Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning; Andy Kerr MSP, Minister for Finance and Public Services; John Elvidge, Permanent Secretary; Trevor Jones, Head of Health Department and Chief Executive, NHS Scotland; Dr. Andrew Goudie, Chief Economic Adviser;
	HM Treasury: Ruth Kelly MP, Financial Secretary;
	Committee of Scottish Clearing Bankers: Susan Rice, Chair;
	Confederation of British Industry (Scotland): Iain McMillan, Director;
	Convention of Scottish Local Authorities: Councillor Pat Watters, President;
	Federation of Small Businesses (Scotland): Andy Willox, Scottish Policy Convenor;
	Scottish Consumer Council: Graeme Miller, Chairman;
	Scottish Council for Development and Industry: Donal Dowds, Chairman;
	Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations: Professor Joan Stringer, Convenor;
	Scottish Enterprise: Dr. Robert Crawford, Chief Executive;
	Scottish Financial Enterprise: Amanda Harvie, Chief Executive;
	Scottish Retail Consortium: Eddie Thompson, Chairman;
	Scottish Trades Union Congress: Tracey White, Assistant Secretary; and
	The Scottish Chambers of Commerce: David Ross, Chairman.
	(b) Remit
	The Chancellor of the Exchequer proposed that Scotland should have its own Committee to oversee Scottish preparations for potential future UK entry into Economic and Monetary Union and to provide advice and input to the work of the UK National Standing Committee on the Euro.
	The chairman of the Committee is the Secretary of State for Scotland and its work is being taken forward in partnership with the First Minister of the Scottish Executive.
	Scottish Executive and Scotland Office Ministers also attend both the Committee of Devolved Euro Ministers and Euro Ministers meetings, which oversee public sector preparations.
	As a devolved Administration the Scottish Executive is responsible for euro preparations within its own remit, but it is also responsible for overseeing preparations in other sectors in Scotland.
	The role of the Scottish Euro Preparations Committee is to:
	Oversee the work of Euro preparations across the Scottish economy;
	Generate awareness of preparations issues in Scotland;
	Ensure co-ordination and co-operation between key sectors;
	Consult on the third outline National Changeover Plan in Scotland; and
	Feedback particular Scottish views and issues to the Chancellor's Standing Committee on Euro Preparations (of which the Secretary of State for Scotland is a member).
	(ii) Wales Euro Preparations Committee (a) Composition
	Wales Office: Peter Hain MP, Secretary of State for Wales; Don Touhig MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State;
	Welsh Assembly Government: First Minister Rhodri Morgan; Minister for Finance, Local Government and Public Services; Sue Essex and Permanent Secretary Sir Jon Shortridge;
	HM Treasury: Financial Secretary to the Treasury;
	Cardiff Chamber of Commerce: Helen Conway;
	CBI Wales: David Rosser, Director;
	Chartered Accountants for Business in Wales: Andrew Leonard;
	Farmers' Union of Wales: Brian Walters, Vice-President;
	National Farmers' Union: Malcolm Thomas, Director;
	NHS Wales: Martin Turner, Chief Executive Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust;
	Wales Council for Voluntary Action: Graham Benfield, Chief Executive;
	Wales Tourist Board: Jonathan Jones, Chief Executive;
	Wales TUC: Margaret Hazell, Vice-President;
	Welsh Consumer Council: Vivienne Sugar;
	Welsh Development Agency: David Childs, Finance Director;
	Welsh Language Board: Jon Walter Jones, Chief Executive; and
	Welsh Local Government Association: Sandy Blair, Director.
	(b) Terms of reference
	The Chancellor proposed that Wales should have its own Committee to oversee Welsh preparations for potential future UK entry into Economic and Monetary Union.
	The Secretary of State for Wales is taking this work forward in partnership with the First Minister of the Assembly, who has responsibility for euro preparations in policy areas under the Assembly's control.
	The role of the Wales Euro Preparations Committee is to:
	Oversee the preparations in Wales
	Generate awareness of the preparations
	Ensure co-ordination and co-operation between key sectors
	Consult on the third outline National Changeover Plan
	Feedback Wales' views to the Chancellor's Standing Committee on Euro Preparations, (of which the Secretary of State for Wales is a member). (iii) Northern Ireland Euro Preparations Committee
	(a) Composition
	Northern Ireland Office: The right hon. Paul Murphy MP, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland; Ian Pearson MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State;
	Head of NI Civil Service: Mr. Nigel Hamilton;
	Department of Agriculture and Rural Development: Mr. Pat Toal, Permanent Secretary;
	Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment: Mr. Bruce Robinson, Permanent Secretary;
	Department of Finance and Personnel: Mr. David Thomson, Treasury Officer of Accounts
	HM Treasury: Ruth Kelly MP, Financial Secretary
	Confederation of British Industry (NI): Dr. Ian McMorris, Chairman;
	NI Chamber of Commerce and Industry: Mr. Ian Morrow, Deputy Chief Executive;
	Institute of Directors: Mr. Dennis Rooney, Chairperson;
	Federation of Small Businesses: Mrs. Rosemary Armstrong, Lady Chair;
	Northern Ireland Congress/Irish Congress of Trade Unions: Frank Bunting, Northern Secretary
	NI Tourism Industry Confederation: Mr. John O'Carroll, Chief Executive;
	NI Banker's Association: Mr. John Diver, Deputy Head of Payment Operations, Ulster Bank Ltd.;
	Institute of Chartered Accountants (Ulster Society): Mr. John Hannaway, Chairman;
	General Consumer Council for NI: Mr. Stephen Costello MBE, Chairman;
	NI Council for Voluntary Action: Mr. Seamus McAleavey, Chief Executive;
	Northern Ireland Centre for Competitiveness: Bob Barbour, Chief Executive;
	Chartered Institute for Marketing: Mr. Michael Maguire, Regional Director;
	NI Local Government Association: Heather Moorehead, Chief Executive.
	The Chancellor proposed that Northern Ireland should have its own Committee to oversee local preparations for potential future UK entry into Economic and Monetary Union.
	This work is being taken forward by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland under Direct Rule and, on the restoration of Devolution, in partnership with the First Minister and Deputy First Minister of the Assembly, who will have responsibility for euro preparations in policy areas under the Assembly's control.
	The role of the Northern Ireland Euro Preparations Committee is to:
	Oversee the preparations in Northern Ireland
	Generate awareness of the preparations
	Ensure co-ordination and co-operation between key sectors
	Consult on the third outline National Changeover Plan
	Feedback Northern Ireland's views to the Chancellor's Standing Committee on Euro Preparations, (of which the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is a member).

Economic and Monetary Union

David Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his statement of 9 June, Official Report, column 415, on EMU, if he will list the locations of events to disseminate information and promote discussion which (a) have been held and (b) are planned, broken down by constituency.

Ruth Kelly: The Treasury continues to work closely with key stakeholders across the country/UK on practical preparations for potential future UK entry into Economic and Monetary Union.
	New members have joined the Chancellor's Standing Committee from the Local Government Association, regional development associations, citizens advice and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations. New preparation committees in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have been set up to oversee local preparations for potential future UK entry into Economic and Monetary Union.

Euro

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the rate of economic growth in the eurozone since 1999; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the unemployment rate in the eurozone; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The Treasury's latest assessment of developments in and prospects for the euro area economy is set out in the April 2003 Financial Statement and Budget Report (HC 500).

Euro

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect upon the UK economy of the interest rate most recently set by the European Central Bank; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: A full assessment of the importance of euro area developments for the UK economy was given in UK membership of the single currency: an assessment of the five economic tests, published on 9 June (CM 5776).

Food Expenditure

David Lidington: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent on food by his Department and by each of the agencies for which it is responsible in (a) 200102 and (b) 200203; what proportion of that food by value was produced in the United Kingdom; what guidance he has issued to encourage the procurement of home-produced food; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The information is not available in the form requested.

Gold

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the world market in gold bullion.

Ruth Kelly: The Treasury monitors developments in the gold market on a daily basis and receives ongoing advice and analysis from the Bank of England. We are well aware of recent developments, including de-hedging operations by gold producers that have resulted in upward pressure on the US dollar price of gold.

Individual Savings Accounts

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what his estimate is of the revenue yield from (a) abolishing the tax relief on individual savings accounts and (b) halving the annual subscription limit for ISAs; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what his estimate is of the cost to the Exchequer of the individual savings account for each year from 199899 to 200506; what his estimate is of the effect of the ISA tax relief on total savings; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Available estimates of the tax relief on ISAs from 19992000 to 200203 are contained in the following table.
	
		Available estimates of the tax relief on ISAs(25) --  million
		
			 Year Cost of tax relief 
		
		
			 19992000 120 
			 200001 420 
			 200102 725 
			 200203 825 
		
	
	(25) From 19992000 to 200203
	The estimates represent the reduction in tax liabilities from investment in ISAs. They do not indicate the yield from abolishing ISAs since in practice this could result in significant and uncertain changes in taxpayers' behaviour because of the range of alternative investment options. Therefore, no estimate is available of this yield.
	There is no available estimate of the effect of ISAs on total savings. Overall, ISAs have attracted a wide range of individuals of different ages and income, whose savings experience will vary widely. They have attracted more younger and lower income savers than TESSAs and PEPs.
	The relief in any particular year is derived from subscriptions built up over a number of years, including the current year. In 200001, the latest year for which estimates are available, contributions in excess of half of the current limits represented around 40 per cent. of the total. Assuming a similar distribution of contributions in every year since the introduction of ISAs would imply that the costs of relief given in the table would have been 40 per cent. lower each year.

Iraq

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is his policy that Iraq's debt should be written off.

Ruth Kelly: The Government's paper A Vision for Iraq and the Iraqi People of 17 March made it clear that we are seeking a fair and sustainable solution to Iraq's external debt problems.
	The Government believes the most effective way to deliver a fair and sustainable solution is by asking the International Monetary Fund (IMF), International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and other responsible international organisations, to make a full assessment of Iraq's needs, resources and obligations. We expect this to be followed by a shared solution through the Paris Club of official creditors and comparable treatment from other creditors. On 14 April the Prime Minister stated in this context that he hopes people will be generous in recognizing Iraq's needs for the future.
	We strongly supported the International Monetary and Finance Committee (IMFC) and Development Committee statements about the importance of addressing the debt issue. The IMF and IBRD have started making their assessments.
	UNSCR 1483 welcomes the readiness of creditors, including those of the Paris Club, to seek a solution to Iraq's sovereign debt problems, protects oil revenues from seizure until December 2007, and provides a transparent route for settlement of UN compensation claims.
	We welcomed the 10 July Paris Club statement that creditors . . . share the view that they don't expect Iraq to be in a position to resume payments to them before end 2004. We expect this unofficial moratorium to allow sufficient time for the establishment of an internationally recognized, representative Government of Iraq, legally empowered to negotiate and agree an IMF programme and debt treatments with creditors.

Lost Working Days

Paul Burstow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 1 September, Official Report, column 884W, on lost working days and chronic pain, when he will supply the information requested.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Burstow, dated 30 September 2003
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question pursuant to my answer of 1st September, Official Report, column 884W (126352), on lost working days and chronic pain. (131199)
	Unfortunately, due to what I understand was an administrative error, the answer to another of your questions (126506) was printed at the above Hansard reference by mistake. The answer that should have been provided is given below.
	Using data from the Labour Force Survey (LFS), it is estimated that in England, in the twelve months ending in May 2003, there were 89.25 million working days lost due to sickness or injury. The corresponding figure for the previous twelve months was 96.68 million. Comparable data for earlier periods are not available. The LFS does not collect information about the types of illnesses or injuries which cause sickness absence. Therefore, information about the number of working days lost because of chronic pain is not available.
	I apologise for the delay in providing an answer to this question.

Microsoft

Norman Lamb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was paid to Microsoft in licensing fees by his Department and its agencies in each of the last three years; and how much has been budgeted for (a) 200304 and (b) 200405.

John Healey: The information requested is commercially confidential and is covered by Exemption 13 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Mortgage Companies

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to introduce a statutory obligation on mortgage companies to advise borrowers about the risks of using property and equity release as a vehicle for pension investment when they take on a new mortgage.

Ruth Kelly: On 1 July 2003, Parliament approved legislation bringing mortgages, including equity release mortgages, within the scope of Financial Services Authority (FSA) regulation with effect from 31 October 2004. The FSA is consulting on rules governing the advice and selling of these products.

National Insurance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received regarding the status of employers' national insurance contributions for seafarers on ships trading in United Kingdom territorial waters.

Dawn Primarolo: Since my announcement in April 2003 regarding employer's national insurance contributions for mariners engaged through offshore manning companies, I have received letters from shipping industry representatives and employers affected. I also met industry representatives on 8 September 2003. In the light of the evidence they presented concerning the likely effect of the proposals on the competitiveness of UK shipping in territorial waters, I have decided to restrict the changes I announced to mariners who are employed in inshore waters classified as A, B, C or D under the Merchant Shipping (Categorisation of Waters) Regulations 1992. Regulations were laid before Parliament on 18 September 2003 and the changes will apply from 13 October 2003.

National Insurance

Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been lost to the National Insurance Fund by reductions in contributions by employers to compensate for the climate change levy.

Dawn Primarolo: The reduction in contributions to the National Insurance Fund to compensate for the climate change levy is 1.1 billion for each of the years 200102 and 200203 and it is estimated to be 1.2 billion for 200304. These figures are rounded to the nearest 0.1 billion.

National Insurance

Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the transfer of the contribution to the NHS from the National Insurance Fund matches the total received by the increase of 1 per cent. in national insurance rates.

Dawn Primarolo: Under the National Insurance Contributions Act 2002, all the proceeds of the 1 per cent. increase in national insurance contributions from April 2003 are added to the amount allocated to the national health service. The effect on the National Insurance Fund of the change in the allocation to the national health service from national insurance contributions, following the National Insurance Contributions Act 2002, is shown in Appendix 5 of the Report by the Government Actuary on the drafts of the Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order 2003 and the Social Security (Contributions) (Re-rating and National Insurance Funds Payments) Order 2003. This was presented to Parliament in February 2003.

National Insurance

Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the amount of the Treasury's supplement to the National Insurance Fund would be if it had been paid at the same rate that prevailed from 1911 to the late 1980s; and what proportion the supplement would now be as a proportion of the total cost of the basic pension.

Dawn Primarolo: The Treasury Supplement was abolished in 198889. It is not possible to say what the amount of the supplement would be for the current year, as the relevant rate used to calculate the supplement varied from one year to the next.

Rented Properties

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the financial benefits to the Exchequer of creating a bond payment scheme for tenants living in rented properties.

John Healey: No assessment has been made of the financial benefits to the Exchequer of creating a bond payment scheme for tenants living in rented properties.

Research and Development Tax Credit

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost arising from cash repayments and enhanced deductions of the research and development tax credit in 200001.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 18 September 2003
	For companies claiming the RD tax credit for small or medium-sized companies in 200001, the cost to the Exchequer was 75 million.

Personal Expenditure

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimates are of the proportion of income paid in (a) income tax, (b) income tax and national insurance contributions, (c) income tax, NICs and value added tax and (d) income tax, NICs, vat and council tax for each income decile for each year since 199091; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell to Mr. David Laws, dated 30 September 2003
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question on estimates of the proportion of income paid in (a) income tax, (b) income tax and national insurance contributions, (NICs), (c) income tax, NICs and value added tax (VAT) and (d) income tax, NICs, VAT and council tax, for each income decile for each year since 199091. I am replying in his absence. (130557)
	Due to changes in some survey variables, consistent estimates for UK taxes and income are only available with effect from the financial year 199697. These are produced from the Office for National Statistics' analysis The effects of taxes and benefits on household income and the latest analysis for 200102 was published on 11 April 2003 on the National Statistics website.
	Results for 200102 and earlier years are also published in 'Economic Trends', which can be obtained from the House of Commons Library. The analysis includes measures of income inequality for the United Kingdom as a whole based on data from the Expenditure and Food Survey (EPS), formerly the Family Expenditure Survey (FES). For the data that you have requested, sample sizes are only sufficient to allow a breakdown to be given by quintiles of income distribution and not by decile.
	Tables 1 to 6 show for each year between 199697 and 200102 the requested direct and indirect taxes paid as a proportion of gross income for all households in the UK, and for each income quintile group where households are ranked by equivalised disposable income. Equivalisation is a standard methodology that takes into account the size and composition of households and adjusts their incomes to recognise differing demands on resources. The net council tax figures are gross council tax less reported council tax benefits and discounts. The tables also show the equivalised disposable income quintile point boundaries, which have been calculated separately for each year. For example, the 1st quintile point is the income below which one fifth of all households are estimated to lie. The quintile point boundaries differ between each year as shown in the tables.
	
		Table 1: Selected direct and indirect taxes paid as a percentage of gross income by equivalised disposable income quintile, 199697 -- United Kingdom % of gross income
		
			 Quintile Income boundary(26)( per year) Income tax Income tax and national insurance contributions (NIC) Income tax, NICand value addedtax (VAT) Income tax, NIC, VAT and council tax 
		
		
			  
			  
			 Bottom  3.2 4.6 14.7 17.9 
			  8,031 
			 2nd  5.9 8.5 17.0 19.7 
			  11,344 
			 3rd  10.0 14.2 21.9 24.2 
			  15,519 
			 4th  12.9 17.9 24.9 26.8 
			  21,964 
			 Top  17.4 21.5 27.0 28.4 
			 Average for all households  12.9 17.0 23.8 25.7 
		
	
	(26) Boundary point between equivalised disposable income quintiles
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics, based on the analysis 'The effects of taxes and benefits on household income', published on the ONS website and in Economic Trends.
	
		Table 2: Selected direct and indirect taxes paid as a percentage of gross income by equivalised disposable income quintile, 199798 -- United Kingdom % of gross income
		
			 Quintile Income boundary(27)( per year) Income tax Income tax and national insurance contributions (NIC) Income tax, NICand value addedtax (VAT) Income tax, NIC, VAT and council tax 
		
		
			 Bottom  2.9 4.4 14.6 17.8 
			  8,504 
			 2nd  5.5 8.2 16.5 19.4 
			  11,922 
			 3rd  9.7 14.2 21.8 24.2 
			  16,342 
			 4th  13.0 18.2 25.3 27.2 
			  23,457 
			 Top  17.4 21.6 27.0 28.4 
			 Average for all households  12.9 17.1 23.8 25.8 
		
	
	(27) Boundary point between equivalised disposable income quintiles
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics, based on the analysis 'The effects of taxes and benefits on household income', published on the ONS website and in Economic Trends.
	
		Table 3: Selected direct and indirect taxes paid as a percentage of gross income by equivalised disposable income quintile, 199899 -- United Kingdom % of gross income
		
			 Quintile Income boundary(28)( per year) Income tax Income tax and national insurance contributions (NIC) Income tax, NICand value addedtax (VAT) Income tax, NIC, VAT and council tax 
		
		
			 Bottom  3.7 5.3 16.0 19.8 
			  8,785 
			 2nd  6.2 9.1 17.3 20.3 
			  12,494 
			 3rd  10.3 14.7 22.4 25.0 
			  17,192 
			 4th  13.2 18.4 25.4 27.4 
			  24,255 
			 Top  18.2 22.3 27.8 29.2 
			 Average for all households  13.5 17.7 24.5 26.6 
		
	
	(28) Boundary point between equivalised disposable income quintiles
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics, based on the analysis 'The effects of taxes and benefits on household income', published on the ONS website and in Economic Trends.
	
		Table 4: Selected direct and indirect taxes paid as a percentage of gross income by equivalised disposable income quintile, 19992000 -- United Kingdom % of gross income
		
			 Quintile Income boundary(29)( per year) Income tax Income tax and national insurance contributions (NIC) Income tax, NICand value addedtax (VAT) Income tax, NIC, VAT and council tax 
		
		
			  
			  
			 Bottom  3.2 4.7 15.9 20.1 
			  9,171 
			 2nd  6.3 9.1 17.3 20.6 
			  13,173 
			 3rd  10.1 14.3 22.1 24.8 
			  18,212 
			 4th  13.3 18.3 25.2 27.4 
			  26,118 
			 Top  17.8 21.7 26.8 28.2 
			 Average for all households  13.4 17.4 24.0 26.2 
		
	
	(29) Boundary point between equivalised disposable income quintiles
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics, based on the analysis 'The effects of taxes and benefits on household income', published on the ONS website and in Economic Trends.
	
		Table 5: Selected direct and indirect taxes paid as a percentage of gross income by equivalised disposable income quintile, 200001 -- United Kingdom % of gross income
		
			 Quintile Income boundary(30)( per year) Income tax Income tax and national insurance contributions (NIC) Income tax, NICand value addedtax (VAT) Income tax, NIC, VAT and council tax 
		
		
			  
			  
			 Bottom  3.6 5.0 16.4 20.6 
			  9,790 
			 2nd  7.3 9.9 18.5 21.8 
			  13,808 
			 3rd  10.9 15.0 22.8 25.4 
			  19,029 
			 4th  13.9 18.8 25.7 27.9 
			  27,109 
			 Top  17.7 21.5 26.8 28.3 
			 Average for all households  13.7 17.5 24.3 26.5 
		
	
	(30) Boundary point between equivalised disposable income quintiles
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics, based on the analysis 'The effects of taxes and benefits on household income', published on the ONS website and in Economic Trends.
	
		Table 6: Selected direct and indirect taxes paid as a percentage of gross income by equivalised disposable income quintile, 200102 -- United Kingdom % of gross income
		
			 Quintile Income boundary(31)( per year) Income tax Income tax and national insurance contributions (NIC) Income tax, NICand value addedtax (VAT) Income tax, NIC, VAT and council tax 
		
		
			  
			  
			 Bottom  3.3 4.5 15.8 20.5 
			  10,417 
			 2nd  6.3 8.7 16.2 19.6 
			  14,761 
			 3rd  10.3 14.3 21.2 24.0 
			  20,082
			 4th  13.5 18.3 24.5 26.8 
			  28,631 
			 Top  18.3 22.1 26.7 28.1 
			 Average for all households  13.7 17.5 23.6 25.8 
		
	
	(31) Boundary point between equivalised disposable income quintiles
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics, based on the analysis 'The effects of taxes and benefits on household income', published on the ONS website and in Economic Trends.

Road Pricing

David Kidney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress he has made in the development of a scheme for charging road hauliers for road use; and when he expects to implement the scheme.

John Healey: Modernising the taxation of the haulage industrylorry road-user chargeProgress Report Two, published on 6 May 2003 and available in the Library of the House, described the Government's plans to develop the lorry road-user charge, alongside an offsetting cut in hauliers' fuel duty. Since then Customs and Excise have been working very closely with the haulage industry and with other stakeholders to refine the detailed requirements of the Charge. This is necessary before the tendering process can begin.
	The charge is a new and complex development, and it will therefore be some time before we will be certain about when it can be introduced.
	The Government and the haulage industry want to ensure that the Charge will work reliably and as intended when it goes live. In the meantime our plan remains to introduce the Charge in 2006.

Road Pricing

David Kidney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he intends that British road hauliers will have to pay vehicle excise duty for individual lorries when he implements the scheme for road use charges.

John Healey: The Government stated in Modernisation the taxation of the haulage industry: progress report two, published in May 2003, that when introduced the distance based lorry user charge will be offset though tax cuts in fuel duty.
	Decisions about vehicle excise duty for lorries will be made separately by the Chancellor as part of the normal Budget decision making process.

Sweden (Euro Referendum)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what reports he has commissioned on the euro campaign in Sweden.

Ruth Kelly: holding answer 17 September 2003
	None. However, the Government continually monitor economic and political developments in other economies.

Tax Credits

Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale (Mr. Duncan) of 3 July 2003, Official Report, column 377W, on tax credits, how many written appeals against tax credit decisions for (a) disagreements about award notices and (b) reporting changes in circumstances have been received in each of the last six months; and of those, how many were found to be in favour of the appellant.

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what action he is taking to reduce the length of time it takes for the Inland Revenue to make a decision on appeals about the level of tax credit awarded;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the length of time it takes for the Inland Revenue to make a decision on appeals about the level of tax credit awarded.

Dawn Primarolo: Up to the end of August, when over 4.6 million claims were in payment, less than 0.5 per cent. had had written correspondence classified as CTC or WTC appeals. Over half of these appeals had been settled by 31 August.
	The Inland Revenue has increased the resources allocated to handling appeals against tax credit awards. This has had a significant impact on its handling of appeals, in further improving the rate at which appeals are settled.

Tax Credits

Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many claims for compensation in relation to the delivery of the child and working tax credits have been received; and how many have been (a) processed, (b) successful and (c) unsuccessful.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is not available in the form requested.

Tax Credits

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many letters to the Inland Revenue from right hon. and hon. Members about working family tax credit applications were awaiting a reply on 31 August; how many of those were over (a) 30 days old and (b) 60 days old; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: At mid-September 2003 there were no letters from right hon. and hon. Members about working families tax credit applications awaiting a reply.

Tax Credits

Clive Efford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total paid out since May 1997 to increase family incomes has been; and what has been the average gain per family (a) in the UK and (b) in Eltham.

Dawn Primarolo: Total benefit and tax credit expenditure directed at children from 199798 to 200304 (in 200304 prices) is estimated at 106 billion. The real terms increase in annual spending on financial support for children over this period is 87 per cent.
	As a result of personal tax and benefit measures on average families with children in the UK are 1,200 better off in real terms this year compared with 199798. It is not possible to estimate the equivalent gain for families living in Eltham.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effect on employment of the working tax credit; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 16 September 2003
	The working families' tax credit was designed to improve work incentives and help families move into employment, and evaluation findings will be published in due course. Building on the success of WFTC, the new working tax credit is a further step in improving in-work support for low earners.

Tax Rates

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the revenue yield from introducing a rate of tax of (a) 50 per cent. and (b) 45 per cent. on (i) incomes over 100,000 per annum, (ii) taxable incomes over 100,000 per annum, (iii) incomes over 150,000 per annum, (iv) taxable incomes over 150,000 per annum and (v) capital gains over 100,000 per annum; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: We are compiling comprehensive information on income tax which we expect to publish on the Inland Revenue website shortly. A copy will be placed in the Library of the House.
	The full-year capital gains yields from introducing a rate of tax of (a) 50 per cent. and (b) 45 per cent. on incomes over 100,000 per annum are 100 million and 50million respectively.

Thalidomide Trust

Terry Rooney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what meetings he has had with the Thalidomide Trust in the last 12 months; and what advice and assistance he has offered to the Trust.

Dawn Primarolo: I met representatives of the Thalidomide Trust on 18 December 2002. Subsequently, Inland Revenue officials visited the Trust to offer direct advice and assistance on a number of issues, including tax repayment and access to tax credits.

Treasury Growth Forecasts

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the accuracy of Treasury growth forecasts over the last three years.

Paul Boateng: In recent years, Treasury forecasts of GDP growth have outperformed the average of independent forecasts (as included in Forecasts for the UK EconomyA comparison of independent forecasts, HM Treasury).

VAT

Lembit �pik: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to preserve the zero rate of UK VAT for (a) children's clothing and (b) motorcycle safety helmets under European Commission proposals to revise reduced rates of value added tax (COM(2003) 397 final); and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: We have made clear that the European Commission's proposals as they currently stand are unacceptable.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Burundi

Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the situation in Burundi; what actions his Department is taking to support the peace process; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mullin: The latest round of talks between the FDD (Nkurunziza) and the Government of Burundi in Dar es Salaam ended on 16 September without agreement. It is not clear how the regional initiative will now respond.
	The British Government is committed to supporting the Arusha process and the transitional Government institutions. We have given extensive support to South African Vice President Zuma and his facilitation team. We are also supporting the African Mission in Burundi, both financially and politically.

Colombia

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support he has offered President Uribe to assist in the safe return of the two British people taken hostage by terrorist guerrillas in Colombia.

Denis MacShane: We welcome the news of Mathew Scott's escape from his captors in Colombia and are continuing our efforts to secure the release of Mark Henderson, the other Briton who was among those abducted in the Sierra Nevada National Park on 12 September. We have offered help from British police kidnap specialists to the Colombian government. Embassy staff in Santa Marta are also liaising closely with the Colombian authorities involved in the search for the hostages. We have stressed throughout the incident the need for the safety of the hostages to be put above all other considerations.

Ethical Foreign Policy

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what actions his Department takes to ensure that the UK pursues an ethical foreign policy.

Bill Rammell: It is increasingly clear that respect for human rights, good governance and the rule of law helps underpin political stability, economic development and open societies. Ensuring respect for human rights remains, therefore, at the heart of the Government's foreign policy. On 18 September, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) published its Annual Report on Human Rights 2003 which sets out the Government's work over the past year to promote human rights abroad. A copy of the report has been sent to all Members of Parliament and is also available on the FCO's website (www.fco.gov.uk). The report includes details of projects funded under the FCO's Human Rights Project Fund which has spent 17 million over five years on over 600 human rights projects in more than 90 countries.

Iraq

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the frequency of abduction of Iraqi (a) women and (b) children.

Bill Rammell: Given the current nature of policing in Iraq no comprehensive crime recording exists. Crime recording and analysis will of course need to be part of the reformed Iraqi Police Service.

Iraq

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the UK is making financial contributions to other coalition nations' forces in Iraq.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 16 September 2003
	We are providing some logistical help to Coalition partners operating under UK command in Multinational Division South East (MND SE). We continue to assess the help that we could provide on a case by case basis.

Iraq

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many military personnel from each of the coalition countries are deployed in Iraq; and what he estimates the totals will be in six months' time.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 16 September 2003
	I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 15 September 2003, Official Report, column 587W. We keep force levels under constant review as the situation develops. We are not at this stage able to estimate what numbers will be in six months time.

Iraq

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans the Government have for posting civil servants to Iraq.

Bill Rammell: We have seconded over 100 UK civil servants to the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) in Iraq since the end of the conflict. They have made an outstanding contribution to the CPA's work in providing services across Iraq, and we expect to maintain at least this level of commitment over the next few months.

Iraq

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what preparations have been made to hand over border controls in Iraq from coalition forces to Iraqi civilians.

Bill Rammell: We are working to give the Iraqis a greater role in security. We are assisting the development of the border police and the new Iraqi army which will have a role in border security. On 15 September there were 2,122 trained border police working alongside coalition forces and a further 3,269 training. The Shalamcheh Point of Entry is now manned by Iraqis.

Afghanistan

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  how many soldiers have left the Afghan army since training by British forces began; and what effects this has had on the proposed date of the completion of the training of the Afghan army;
	(2)  when he expects the training of the Afghan army to be complete; and how many recruits have now been trained.

Mike O'Brien: The US leads international efforts to establish a new Afghan National Army (ANA). UK personnel trained the first battalion of the ANA in April 2002 and have been providing NCO training since March 2003. The ANA decree signed by President Karzai in December 2002 refers to training up to 70,000 personnel but does not specify a completion date. We do not have access to exact figures for personnel who have completed the US training program, or for the retention rate. But the ANA currently consists of eight battalions and as of late June around 4,500 soldiers had undergone basic training.

Afghanistan

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the process of democratisation and political participation in Afghanistan; what recent discussions (a) he and (b) members of his Department have had with representatives of the Afghan Government; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: Work has begun on a new Afghan constitution. The UK has made clear that the new constitution must reflect Afghan culture and traditions and also respect Afghanistan's obligations under international human rights standards. A Constitutional Loya Jirga will meet in December to approve a new constitution.Elections are due in mid-2004, but it has yet to be decided how these are to be organised. The UN has begun the voter registration process, although they are still seeking funding for this programme. The UK has so far allocated 3 million to assist with preparations for the elections, and we will consider further requests for funding.
	During their visits to Afghanistan earlier this year, both my right hon. Friends the Foreign Secretary and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. Rammell) met with President Karzai and a number of his Ministers in the Afghan Transitional Administration. Reform of the political process was one of the many issues that were discussed. Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and our embassy in Kabul are in regular contact with members of the Transitional Administration on these issues.

Afghanistan

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions (a) he and (b) members of his Department have had with representatives of NATO member states' governments concerning the expansion of (i) the number and (ii) the mandate of peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The UK has regular discussions at all levels with NATO partners both bilaterally and in NATO fora on matters relating to Afghanistan, including the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). NATO took over leadership of ISAF in August 2003 and is currently engaged in a review of ISAF's role. It would be inappropriate for us to second-guess the outcome of this review and any possible effect it might have on the ISAF mandate or the number of troops required for any additional tasks. But any change to ISAF's role would also require amendment of its mandate through the UN.

Afghanistan

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions (a) he and (b) members of his Department have had with representatives of the Russian Government concerning peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan.

Mike O'Brien: On 26 June 2003, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary briefed President Putin and Foreign Minister Ivanov on his forthcoming visit to Afghanistan. Russia is not directly participating in the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. But we regularly discuss issues relating to Afghanistan, including security issues, with the Russian Government, both bilaterally and in international fora such as the NATO-Russia Council and the UN. Most recently, officials briefed the Russian embassy in London on 15 September 2003 on progress made by the UK Provincial Reconstruction Team in Mazar-e Sharif.

Arms Embargoes

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will impose secondary arms embargoes on countries that continue to supply countries with military or para-military equipment in violation of an existing arms embargo.

Bill Rammell: Any proposal for sanctions, secondary or otherwise needs to be looked at on a case-by-case basis. Her Majesty's Government supports the use of sanctions that are closely targeted and designed to deliver a clear objective. Such measures are most effective when they are enforced by multilateral institutions such as the UN, the EU or the OSCE. The UK therefore seeks to work with the international community where it can to prevent sanctions breaches.
	The UK has supported the imposing of secondary sanctions against countries where appropriate; for instance, UNSCR 997(1995) which imposed an arms embargo on Rwanda also imposes an embargo on the sale or supply of arms to persons in the States neighbouring Rwanda; if that sale or supply is for the purpose of the use of such arms or materiel within Rwanda.

Article 111.8 (EU Draft Constitutional Treaty)

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the impact of the unanimity requirement on the effectiveness of Article 111.8 Draft Constitutional Treaty for the European Union in combating discrimination.

Denis MacShane: The Government believe that the unanimity requirement in Article III-8 will provide a good basis for EU legislation to combat various forms of discrimination. The Government consider that the requirement of unanimity will ensure that EU legislation is framed appropriately in order to take account of national diversity as well as the principles of proportionality and subsidiarity. Furthermore, initiatives taken under Article III-8 are measures aimed at supporting member state action, and do not therefore in any case stop member states putting in place additional measures.

Asbestos

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much has been spent by his Department and its agencies on (a) asbestos surveys and (b) the management and removal of asbestos since 1 January 2001; and what budget is available to (i) commission asbestos surveys and (ii) manage and remove asbestos from buildings in (A) 2003 and (B) 2004.

Bill Rammell: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office commissioned a complete review of asbestos in buildings in the UK in 2002. The cost of this survey was 81,500. Approximately 180,000 has been spent on the removal of asbestos during routine maintenance and refurbishment works. No further expenditure on surveys is anticipated for the next two years. There is no planned programme for asbestos removal in 2003 and 2004 as the review did not indicate that this is necessary.
	In our posts overseas, the cost of asbestos specific surveys since January 2001 has been 72,672. The management and removal of asbestos is however a component of building maintenance budgets devolved to our Posts, and it is therefore not possible separately to identify asbestos related expenditure without incurring disproportionate costs.

Subcontinent

Ann Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the UK's relationship with (a) India, (b) Bangladesh and (c) Pakistan.

Mike O'Brien: This Government attaches great importance to the South Asian region as a whole.
	The UK and India work together on regional and global issues, poverty relief, trade and investment, science and the environment. The shared vision was set out in the New Delhi Declaration of January 2002. There has been a series of high-level visits to and from India. Outward visits have been made by: my right hon. Friends the Deputy Prime Minister; the Foreign Secretary; and Secretaries of State for Defence; Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Culture; Trade and Industry; and the then Secretary of State for International Development (Clare Short). We have received recent inward visits from Indian Ministers including the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Defence Minister.
	The UK and Bangladesh regularly engage on all levels and there have been a number of high profile visits between our two countries, including that of my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to Dhaka in January 2002, and that of the Bangladeshi Foreign Minister, Morshed Khan, to London in May 2003.
	Our bilateral relationship with Pakistan is close. Our relationship has been strengthened by the initiatives launched by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister in Islamabad in the judicial, commercial and defences spheres. We very much welcomed the official visit to the UK in June 2003 by President Musharraf.
	The large number of British nationals of South Asian origin play a major part in Britain's economy and culture and strengthen the partnerships we share with India,Bangladesh, and Pakistan.

Brazilian Prisons

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many United Kingdom citizens have been detained in Brazilian prisons in each year since 1997.

Chris Mullin: The total number of British prisoners detained in Brazilian prisons each year since 1997 is as follows:
	
		
			 Year Number 
		
		
			 1997 15 
			 1998 8 
			 1999 12 
			 2000 11 
			 2001 12 
			 2002 15 
			 2003(32) 26 
		
	
	(32) To date

Brazilian Prisons

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list for each year since 1997 the representations (a) he and (b) members of his Department have made to representatives of the Brazilian government concerning the conditions of gaols in Brazil; what assurances were sought; what assurances were given; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: Since 1997, our dialogue with Brazil on human rights questions has taken place within the framework of the UK-Brazil Joint Declaration on human rights. The situation in Brazil's prisons forms a regular part of our bilateral dialogue. Prisons was one of the topics I discussed during my meeting with Nilmario Miranda, Brazil's Special Secretary for Human Rights, in Brasilia last May.
	We have developed an active programme of co-operation with Brazil in this area. A project to improve the management of prisons in the state of Sao Paulo, thereby increasing respect for the human rights of prisoners, has received funding of 191,430 from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) Human Rights Project Fund. Key project partners include the Brazilian Federal Government's Department of Prisons and the Sao Paulo State Government's Secretariat of Prison Administration. On 29 August, a successful workshop was held to encourage other State Governments to replicate the ongoing project and discussions continue with federal and state authorities to this end.
	A project to produce a Brazilian Portuguese language version of a handbook, 'A Human Rights Approach to Prison Management' has received funding of 12,200 from the FCO's Human Rights Project Fund. The project, operating in partnershipwith the Brazilian Federal Government's Department of Prisons, aims to distribute copies of this practical guide to all prison staff throughout Brazil, promoting best practice in placing human rights at the centre of prison management, thereby increasing practical respect for the human rights of prisoners throughout the country.

Central Asia

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the security situation in Central Asia and its (a) direct and (b) indirect causes.

Bill Rammell: We monitor the security situation in Central Asia closely. Security in the region is affected by many factors, including the threat from local and international terrorism, crime, and the political situation in each country.
	We are not aware of any current, specific terrorist threat to British nationals in Central Asia, but we cannot discount the possibility of attacks. We advise travellers to the region to contact the relevant embassy for up-to-date advice.
	Although we have no immediate plans to change our current assessment of the security situation in Central Asia, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's travel advice is kept under constant review.

Central Asia

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions (a) he and (b) members of his Department have had with representatives of the (i) Russian and (ii) US governments on Central Asia; what issues were raised in these discussions; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: We have regular discussions with representatives of both the Russian and US governments on Central Asia. This year officials have discussed a variety of issues affecting the respective countries of Central Asia and the region as a whole, including economic and political reform, counter-narcotics, regional co-operation and security matters.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed the problem of drug trafficking in Central Asia and the surrounding region with Russian Foreign Minister Ivanov on 4 March 2003.

Chemical Weapons

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have taken place with (a) the Russian Government and (b) governments of the Baltic states regarding the clean up of dumped chemical weapons in the sea after the Second World War.

Denis MacShane: The UK disposed of captured German chemical munitions in the Skagerrak immediately after World War II. We did not dump or dispose of captured German chemical weapons in the Baltic.
	This issue was first raised by Russia in a NATO context in 1997.They also raised the matter directly with the UK around the same time and subsequently raised it with the EU in 1998.
	The issue was also investigated by the Helsinki Commission, an international maritime forum, in the early 1990s. At that time there was no evidence of any increased levels of toxicity in the seas in that area.
	The NATO Political Committee rejected proposals for a joint NATO-Russia environmental expedition, stating that any future expeditions should be conducted through, or as part of, the Helsinki Convention.
	Although there is no suggestion that this would be an acceptable method for disposing of chemical weapons stocks today, the UK believes that any attempt to raise or salvage the munitions could create a far greater environmental hazard.

Diplomatic Posts

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many diplomatic posts overseas his Department has closed in the last three years; and how many posts it plans to close in the next three years.

Bill Rammell: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office did not close any Posts in the financial years 200001, 200102 or 200203.
	This financial year (200304) we have already closed Bamako. We have announced plans to close San Salvador, Managua and Tegucigalpa by the end of this financial year. There are currently no proposals to make any further closures of Diplomatic Posts in the next three years, although the situation is kept under continuous review.

Draft European Constitution (Territorial Cohesion)

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Government's position with regard to the forthcoming Inter-Governmental Conference on the articles in the draft European Constitution dealing with terroritorial cohesion.

Denis MacShane: The Government are considering the implications of the references to territorial cohesion, and will respond appropriately in the Intergovernmental Conference.

Entry Clearance

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list entry clearance posts that have ceased to use the pre-assessment of entry clearance applications, together with the date on which each post ceased to use the procedure.

Chris Mullin: Guidance was issued to all visa sections on 2 May 2002, instructing them to minimise the use of pre-assessment procedures.
	Posts authorised to use pre-assessment were advised that it should only be used where applicants clearly lack adequate documentation, to manage queues on days where the visa operation would otherwise be unable to cope with demand, or deal with specific local circumstances affecting limited groups.
	Since many posts thus have authority to use pre-assessment in exceptional circumstances, there is no definitive record of those posts which have ceased to use the procedure.

European Union

David Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the evidential basis is of the statement on page 8 of the White Paper, A Constitutional Treaty for the EU, that the EU's share of total UK trade has grown from 40 to 55 per cent.

Denis MacShane: HM Customs and Excise data indicates that in 1973 UK trade with the EU 15 was 43 per cent. of total UK trade. This has risen to 55.2 per cent. in 2002.
	
		
			 Detail 1973 2002 
		
		
			 UK trade with the EU 15 ( million) 12,177 227,925 
			 UK trade with the world ( million) 28,310 413,281 
			 EU15: per cent. share 43.0 55.2

European Union

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department is doing to encourage more countries to join the European Union.

Denis MacShane: The British Government continue to champion the accession of the three remaining candidates for EU membership. We are providing political and practical support to help Romania and Bulgaria complete their negotiations, prepare for membership and accede in 2007. We are also encouraging Turkey to implement fully the reforms that are a prerequisite for the opening of EU accession negotiations.
	Beyond this, we will continue to support eligible potential future candidates in carrying out political and economic reforms that will help their EU candidacies.

European Union

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his assessment of the benefits of expansion of the European Union.

Denis MacShane: We have long supported the enlargement process, which will promote peace, prosperity and security across the EU and beyond. Both the benefits and potential costs to the UK of the next wave of enlargement are outlined in the Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) on the European Union (Accessions) Bill. The RIA has been placed in the Library of the House and is available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website: www.fco.gov.uk

Heads of State (Assassination)

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what Her Majesty's Government's policy is on the assassination of heads of state recognised by the United Nations; and what recent representations have been made to other countries on this matter.

Denis MacShane: Our policy is to act in accordance with UK and International law. In the case of the Israeli decision in principle to expel President Arafat, the UK has made its view clear during debates in the UN Security Council and General Assembly. The expulsion or harm of President Arafat would be wrong and counterproductive. Israel should not allow its justified anger at the continuing violence to lead to actions that would undermine both the peace process and Israel's own interests. My noble Friend the Baroness Symons made strong representations to the Israeli Ambassador on this issue on 15 September.

Krishna Maharaj

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when, in relation to Krishna Maharaj, the Government expects to have advised the United States court of the submitting of its brief.

Chris Mullin: We are appointing US lawyers who will advise the Government and take matters forward with the US Courts in an appropriate manner.

Legal Advice

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make an assessment of the feasibility of publishing the legal advice prepared by the Attorney General for use by the United Kingdom ambassador to the United Nations.

Bill Rammell: It is the long-standing practice of successive Governments that neither the substance of Law Officers' advice, nor the fact that they have been consulted, is publicly disclosed. This information is withheld under exemptions 2 and 4(d) of Part II of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Military and Police Training

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what powers the Government have to prevent UK citizens providing (a) military and (b) police training to embargoed countries and forces.

Bill Rammell: Where the United Nations Security Council has adopted a resolution deciding that states shall prohibit the supply of military and police training to specified countries or forces, the UK will generally implement this by making statutory instruments under the United Nations Act 1946 applicable to the UK, Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. Where the European Union has acted swiftly to implement a UN Security Council Resolution by an EC Regulation, the EC Regulation will be directly applicable in the UK and Gibraltar, and the UK and Gibraltar will legislate only to provide penalties for the breach of the Regulation in those territories.
	Where the European Union has adopted measures prohibiting the supply of military and police training (for example, in the case of Zimbabwe), those measures will include an EC Regulation which is directly applicable in the UK and Gibraltar. The UK and Gibraltar will legislate only to provide penalties for the breach of the Regulation. Bermuda and the Crown Dependencies will adopt their own legislation to implement the EU measures. The UK will legislate in respect of the Overseas Territories other than Gibraltar arid Bermuda using powers in the Saint Helena Act 1833, the British Settlements Acts 1887 and 1947, and prerogative powers.
	The precise powers taken in legislation will depend upon the scope of the sanctions regime against that particular state. However, legislation will generally create a criminal offence of providing assistance and training to prohibited territories or individuals without a licence from an appropriate authority, and this will apply to all individuals within the territory to which the legislation applies, and also to all categories of British citizen wherever they may be. Legislation will also generally provide ancillary powers to enforce the prohibition, for example, powers for the obtaining of evidence and information, and provisions for criminal proceedings and penalties. Penalties on summary conviction will generally be imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or a fine not exceeding 5,000 or both, and on conviction on indictment, imprisonment for a term not exceeding seven years or an unlimited fine or both.

Ministerial Visits

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of the countries hoping to join the European Union in the near future he has visited in his capacity as Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.

Denis MacShane: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has visited seven of the acceding member states and candidate countries: Poland (October 2001), Hungary, Romania and Slovakia (July 2002), the Czech Republic (November 2002), Slovenia (December 2002) and Turkey (October 2001 and December 2002).

Portuguese Embassy

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Portuguese Ambassador requesting that he require staff at his office in London to acknowledge and respond to correspondence from hon. Members.

Denis MacShane: The Portuguese Charg d'Affaires has assured the Foreign and Commonwealth Office that the Portuguese Embassy are committed to responding to all correspondence which they receive, including that from hon. Members.

Russia

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions (a) he and (b) members of his Department have had in 2003 with representatives of the Russian Government concerning the security situation in (i) Ingushetia and (ii) North Ossetia-Alania; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: We regularly discuss the security situation in the North Caucasus, including Ingushetia and North Ossetia, with representatives of the Russian Government, e.g. at the annual human rights talks at senior official level in March 2003.
	We remain concerned about the security and human rights situation in Chechnya and the surrounding republics. We have noted with concern recent bombings throughout the North Caucasus, including the bombings in Mozdok, North Ossetia, and most recently of the Federal Security Service headquarters in Magas, Ingushetia. We also monitor carefully the humanitarian and security situation of Internally Displaced People in the North Caucasus, particularly those in tent camps in Ingushetia.

Sierra Leone

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the oral Answer given by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, 11 September 2003, Official Report, columns 16970WH, which countries and organisations have been approached by the UK Government for additional funding for the UN special court in Sierra Leone.

Bill Rammell: The Government has lobbied more than 40 states. These have included EU partners as well as selected Asian, Middle Eastern and African states. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has written in person to his colleagues in 10 states and has put the issue of funding for the Special Court for Sierra Leone on the agenda of the General Affairs and External Relations Council of the EU on 29 September. The Government has also approached the European Commission on this issue.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what monitoring is being undertaken by the British Government of human rights abusers in Sudan.

Chris Mullin: There has been no formal human rights monitoring mechanism in place since the defeat of the EU sponsored resolution on Sudan at the UN Commission on Human Rights on 16 April. This resulted in the termination of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur. However, the British embassy in Khartoum continues to monitor human rights abuses and raises them with the Government of Sudan bilaterally and as part of the EU/Sudan Dialogue. We also part-fund the work of the Sudan Organisation Against Torture (SOAT) which documents human rights abuses.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the suppression of the media in parts of the Sudan.

Chris Mullin: On 9 August President Beshir announced the complete lifting of press censorship. The British embassy in Khartoum will monitor the implementation of this arrangement.

UN Arms Embargoes

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken to encourage national legislatures, with particular reference to countries which produce military or paramilitary equipment, to increase the number of UN arms embargoes that they enact at a national level.

Bill Rammell: The UK fully supports UN sanctions. We try to ensure that other States follow suit. The UK has lobbied countries believed to be involved in embargo breaches both unilaterally and multilaterally. Lobbying regarding sanctions enforcement often occurs during high-level ministerial visits.
	In addition, officials from the FCO, MOD, DTI and HM Customs and Excise undertake regular Export Control Outreach visits to raise awareness about responsible export controls, licensing and enforcement. Since 2001, the UK has held bilateral talks with Bosnia, China, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Israel, Macau, Malta, Poland, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro and the Ukraine.

UN Arms Embargoes

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has taken steps to encourage the UN Security Council to develop a list of (a) military, (b) paramilitary, (c) police and (d) dual-use equipment to which UN arms embargoes will apply.

Bill Rammell: The Bonn-Berlin process (a German initiative involving the UN Secretariat and supported by the UK) on the design and implementation of arms embargoes and travel and aviation related sanctions in 2001, considered the question of whether the UN Security Council should adopt lists of military goods to which UN arms embargoes would apply. The participants concluded that it was important to agree a list of goods prior to the introduction of a UN resolution with the assistance of the UN Secretariat. If there were divergent views on the list, arbitration should be provided by the UN Secretary-General.
	However, due to lack of consensus among Security Council members, these proposals were never adopted. UK sanctions policy focuses upon and encourages the use of sanctions that are appropriately targeted and effectively implemented and enforced. The UK therefore continues to support the adoption of lists of military equipment to which UN arms embargoes would apply.

United Nations (Sanctions)

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is on supporting increased (a) funding and (b) resources available to the UN's sanction committees.

Bill Rammell: The UK contributes to UN sanctions committees through assessed contributions on an annual basis. Mandates for funding are set out by the Security Council. These mandates are ratified by the General Assembly, who in turn approves the budget. HMG wants to see all the sanctions committees functioning effectively; through appropriate funding and resources, but to date support for increased funding for sanctions committees has not been necessary.

United Nations (Sanctions)

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support he has given towards the creation of a dedicated sanctions unit within the UN Secretariat.

Bill Rammell: The UK and France drafted a joint proposal in 2001 for an independent sanctions monitoring mechanism to improve the Security Council's capacity to monitor targeted sanctions regimes it has established. After considerable discussion among Council members, the proposal stalled as some members were opposed to it. The Government are currently considering whether we should re-initiate discussions on this proposal again in the near future.

Visas

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many non-settlement visa applications were (a) received, (b) determined and (c) refused at entry clearance posts worldwide in (i) 2000, (ii) 2001, (iii) 2002 and (iv) 2003 to date.

Chris Mullin: The information is as follows.
	
		
			Non-settlement visas issued 
			  Received Issued Refused 
		
		
			 2000 1,616,790 1,431,283 110,391 
			 FY 200102 1,687,816 1,471,458 164,916 
			 FY 200203 1,714,167 1,465,472 166,462 
		
	
	The table above shows the number of non-settlement visa applications received, issued and refused at entry clearance posts worldwide each year since 2000. Since 2001, statistics have been collated by financial year (1 April to 31 March) rather than calendar year.
	The discrepancies in these figures are due to the fact that applications can be carried forward from one month to the next before being resolved, and applications can be withdrawn during processing and still count as an application received. Posts are also required to count all applications received (a mother and three children on one passport may count as four applications, but one entry clearance may be issued).

Visas

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) short-term and (b) long-term student visa applications were (i) received, (ii) determined and (iii) refused at entry clearance posts worldwide in each month since 1 January 2002.

Chris Mullin: Worldwide statistics for student visas are collated by financial year (1 April to 31 March) only, and are not available on a monthly basis. The statistics do not distinguish between short-term and long-term student visa applications. During the financial year 200203 the worldwide figures for the number of student visa applications that were received, determined and refused were as follows:
	(i) Received applications171,100
	(ii) Determined applications120,888
	(iii) Refused applications48,845

Zimbabwe

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations Her Majesty's Government have made to the Zimbabwean Government regarding the shutting down of the Daily News.

Jack Straw: I issued a press statement on 15 September condemning the Government of Zimbabwe for this latest attack on the free and independent media in Zimbabwe. I made it clear that we regard the closure of the Daily News as a blatant attempt by the Government of Zimbabwe to stifle independent scrutiny and silence democratic voices in Zimbabwe. With our support the EU also issued a declaration on 18 September, condemning the closure of the Daily News and describing it as a serious attack on freedom of information in Zimbabwe. I issued a further press statement on 20 September. We will continue to press for the Daily News to be allowed to resume publication.

Visitor Visa Applications

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many visitor visa applications were (a) received, (b) determined and (c) refused at entry clearance posts worldwide in each month since 1 January.

Chris Mullin: Worldwide statistics for all visitor visas are collated by financial year (1 April to 31 March) only, and are not available on a monthly basis. During the financial year 200203 the worldwide figures for the number of visitor visa applications that were received, determined and refused were as follows:
	
		
			 Applications Number 
		
		
			 (a) Received 1,421,597 
			 (b) Determined 1,219,169 
			 (c) Refused 175,434

Visitor Visa Applications

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many family visitor visa applications were (a) received, (b) determined and (c) refused at (i) Mumbai, (ii) New Delhi, (iii) Dhaka, (iv) Islamabad, (v) Tehran, (vi) Nicosia, (vii) Accra, (viii) Lagos and (ix) Nairobi in each month since 1 January.

Chris Mullin: The following table shows the statistics requested up to July, after which figures are not yet available.
	
		
			  Mumbai New Delhi Dhaka Islamabad Tehran Nicosia Accra Lagos Nairobi 
		
		
			 Received  
			 January 825 1,210 410 619 645 297 2,039 1,558 173 
			 February 840 962 289 723 798 139 1,879 1,145 187 
			 March 1,384 1,468 421 2,281 855 189 1,749 1,019 116 
			 April 2,314 2,499 383 1,852 89 196 2,198 582 199 
			 May 2,610 3,172 409 1,447 1,592 223 2,378 643 147 
			 June 2,700 3,520 807 2,057 2,009 487 1,999 940 543 
			 July 2,862 3,747 1,238 2,865 1,911 485 1,975 1,057 749 
			   
			 Issued  
			 January 659 584 116 524 504 284 725 1,281 146 
			 February 690 458 99 631 602 126 701 130 156 
			 March 1,202 810 144 2,263 635 (33)174 737 197 58 
			 April 2,016 1,726 77 1,827 98 (33)174 1,131 318 152 
			 May 1,984 2,272 123 1,393 1,339 456 1,225 456 128 
			 June 2,044 2,265 467 1,943 1,674 454 1,205 559 464 
			 July 2,336 2,579 830 2,563 1,508 449 1,346 681 618 
			   
			 Refused  
			 January 219 626 247 95 134 13 1,317 264 27 
			 February 198 504 190 92 190 13 1,213 649 31 
			 March 305 658 277 18 220 15 1,083 706 58 
			 April 418 773 306 25  22 1,053 341 43 
			 May 658 900 232 54 253 17 1,151 344 16 
			 June 713 1,223 251 114 300 33 838 385 58 
			 July 589 1,168 315 302 403 36 638 340 80 
		
	
	(33) Figures given for March and April in Nicosia have been double-checked. The identical figure is coincidental.
	The discrepancies in these figures are due to the fact that applications can be carried forward from one month to the next before being resolved, and applications can be withdrawn during processing and still count as an application received. Post are also required to count all applications received (a mother and three children on one passport may count as four applications, but one entry clearance may be issued).

Visitor Visa Applications

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many family visitor visa applications were (a) received, (b) determined and (c) refused at entry clearance posts in (i) South Asia region, (ii) Middle East region, (iii) Far East region, (iv) Central Europe region, (v) Southern Europe region, (vi) Western Europe region, (vii) Equatorial Africa region, (viii) Southern Africa region and (ix) Near East and North Africa region in each month since 1 January.

Chris Mullin: The following table shows the statistics requested up to July, after which figures are not yet available.
	
		
			  South Asia Middle East Far East Central Europe Southern Europe Western Europe Equatorial Africa Southern Africa Near East/North Africa 
		
		
			 Received  
			 January 3,618 962 798 1,497 1,712 969 4,403 1,253 1,202 
			 February 3,528 1,055 502 1,400 1,575 1,138 3,792 456 941 
			 March 6,836 1,081 794 1,731 1,974 1,519 3,634 518 976 
			 April 8,846 322 789 1,850 2,088 11,733 3,861 616 1,270 
			 May 9,492 2,166 557 2,153 2,501 1,649 4,120 513 1,428 
			 June 11,066 2,912 1,256 2,994 3,397 2,017 4,868 1,055 2,257 
			 July 12,655 2,565 1,629 3,233 3,636 2,767 5,110 1,523 2,718 
			   
			 Issued  
			 January 2,467 761 725 1,396 1,616 901 2,561 720 1,006 
			 February 2,615 779 416 1,220 1,383 993 1,364 279 787 
			 March 5,658 822 719 1,548 1,792 1,368 1,424 263 795 
			 April 7,297 271 675 1,577 1,801 1,614 2,094 375 948 
			 May 7,515 1,829 502 1,945 2,264 1,497 2,510 340 1,144 
			 June 8,565 2,485 1,172 2,721 3,110 2,007 3,166 678 1,912 
			 July 9,964 2,049 1,489 2,983 3,370 2,870 3,568 1,008 2,244 
			   
			 Refused  
			 January 1,317 217 58 124 136 71 1,874 516 166 
			 February 1,088 260 80 115 127 61 2,138 188 152 
			 March 1,339 263 86 110 129 98 2,135 246 123 
			 April 1,688 53 99 122 137 109 1,833 245 235 
			 May 2,024 316 61 166 181 90 1,785 139 276 
			 June 2,473 391 75 223 248 87 1,732 430 265 
			 July 2,685 501 135 235 250 163 1,441 509 369 
		
	
	The discrepancies in these figures are due to the fact that applications can be carried forward from one month to the next before being resolved, and applications can be withdrawn during processing and still count as an application received. Posts are also required to count all applications received (a mother and three children on one passport may count as four applications, but one entry clearance may be issued).

Western Sahara

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress is being made on the Baker peace plan in the Western Sahara.

Bill Rammell: In July this year the Security Council called upon the parties to the dispute to work with the United Nations and with each other towards acceptance and implementation of James Baker's Peace Plan which provides for a UN organised referendum after a transitional period. The United Kingdom is encouraging the parties and States of the region to cooperate fully with the Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy to this end.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Child Care

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on measures taken to encourage employer responsibilities towards child care costs for employees with children.

Margaret Hodge: The Government recognises that making child care affordable is a key challenge for the National Child care Strategy and has made a substantial investment to achieve this.
	All working parents may receive means-tested support through the child care element of the Working Tax Credit (WTC). Families are eligible to apply for the child care element of WTC where a lone parent or both parents work for at least 16 hours a week. Support may be worth up to 70 per cent. (maximum 135 a week for one child) of eligible child care costs up to 200 a week. Parents cannot claim the child care element of WTC for the time their children receive a free nursery education place but may be eligible for help for extended hours or wraparound care. The responsibility for claiming WTC rests with parents, not child care providers.
	We are working closely with Inland Revenue and the Treasury over proposals to improve employer supported child care for employees. Inland Revenue and Treasury launched a consultation document in February 2003, and the responses were published on September 17.

Child Protection

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to implement Lord Laming's recommendations on child protection when formulating future star ratings for Social Services Departments.

Margaret Hodge: The Green Paper Every Child Matters and Keeping Children Safethe Government's response to the Victoria Climbie Inquiry Report and the Joint Chief Inspectors' Report Safeguarding Children were published on 8 September, and copies are available in the Library.
	Since the Victoria Climbie Inquiry Report was published on 28 January 2003, councils with social services responsibilities have been required by the Social Services Inspectorate to carry out a self-audit of their child protection services. This was based on a checklist issued by the Government of the recommendations in the report that were considered to be basic good professional practice.
	Within the social services star rating system, there are performance levels expected for child protection services. For 2003, this will include a performance indicator on child protection review conferences. It will also use the audit of child protection services. Where inspectors judge that the audit has revealed that a council's child protection services are only at best, serving some people well, then the overall assessment of children's services will not be higher than serving some people well, with a consequent effect on the maximum star rating that a council can achieve.

Child Protection

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many of Lord Laming's recommendations in his report on child protection had been put into action by 1 July.

Margaret Hodge: 83 of the 108 recommendations contained in the Victoria Climbie Inquiry report had been partially or fully implemented by 1 July 2003.
	Our substantive response to the report as part of the Green Paper 'Every Child Matters', was published on 8 September.

Somali Refugees

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of unaccompanied Somali child refugees in local authority care in England.

Margaret Hodge: This information is not available in the form requested. However, in 2002, the most recent year for which figures are available, 345 1 Somali children applied for asylum in the UK as unaccompanied asylum seeking children i.e. aged under 18 at the time of their application. Only a small proportion of applications result in grants of refugee status. This figure is taken from the annual Home Office statistical bulletin Asylum Statistics United Kingdom 2002 published by the Home Office on 28 August 2003. It is published on the internet at the following web address; http://www. homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html. The bulletin is also available in hard copy.
	All unaccompanied asylum seeking children are supported by local authorities under the Children Act 1989.
	1 This figure is provisional and rounded to the nearest 5.
	The data is not comparable to manual counts data prior to 2002. The data excludes age dispute cases.

Admissions Policy

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills under what circumstances it is possible for (a) local education authority maintained schools, (b) academies and (c) city colleges which have an admissions policy which requires prospective pupils to undertake an assessment of ability and or aptitude to charge the pupil or parent for information about the pupil's performance in the assessment except where the information is sought under the Data Protection Act 1998.

David Miliband: Maintained schools, academies and city colleges cannot charge for or in connection with admission.
	If the request for information about a pupil's performance in an assessment for ability or aptitude is unrelated to the application for admission, or any appeal against a decision not to admit the pupil, then they may charge for supplying that information.

Adoption

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children have been adopted (a) voluntarily and (b) as a result of a court order by (i) social services and (ii) other agencies in Gloucestershire and the adjoining authorities in the last five years.

Margaret Hodge: All adoptions require an adoption order to be made by a court. When deciding whether to make an adoption order, section 6 of the Adoption Act 1976 requires the court to take account of the wishes and feelings of the child and give due consideration to them, having regard to his age and understanding.
	The number of children adopted from Gloucestershire and the seven adjoining authorities in the years ending 31 March 19982002 are shown in the table.
	Information on the number of children adopted through voluntary adoption agencies is not collected centrally. However, the actual figure is likely to be very small, as voluntary adoption agencies only place children voluntarily relinquished by their birth family to their care for the purposes of adoption.
	
		Number of looked after children adopted during the years ending 31 March 19982002, in Gloucestershire and the adjoining local authorities
		
			  Number(34) 
			  1998(35) 1999(36) 2000(36) 2001(37) 2002(37) 
		
		
			 England 2,100 2,200 2,700 3,100 3,400 
			   
			 Gloucestershire  10 20 20 20 
			 Herefordshire   15 15 10 
			 Worcestershire  10 25 35 60 
			 Warwickshire   10 10 15 
			 Oxfordshire  20 30 20 30 
			 Swindon   10 10  
			 Wiltshire  15 20 10 15 
			 South Gloucestershire   5 10 10 
		
	
	(34) Numbers are rounded to the nearest five. Numbers between one and five are suppressed ().
	(35) Because of the small number of children involved in many local authorities, reliable estimates cannot be obtained from the SSDA 903 one-third sample for 199798.
	(36) 199899 and 19992000 adoption data are taken from the Key Statistics Return (KS1).
	(37) 200001 and 200102 data are from the AD1, an annual return completed by local authorities with social services responsibilities in England. This return provides data on children looked after by each local authority who were adopted during the year ending 31 March.

Apprenticeships

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on progress towards the take-up of modern apprenticeships with specific reference to the provision of opportunities for employees working for smaller companies in rural areas.

Ivan Lewis: Modern apprenticeships make an important contribution to meeting the skills needs of smaller companies in rural areas. The operation and delivery of modern apprenticeships is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council and I have therefore asked John Harwood, the council's chief executive, to write to the hon. Gentleman with the information requested and to place a copy of his reply in the Library.

Autism

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how the education authorities in Tyne and Wear have performed in relation to the Government's inspection programme for autistic education;
	(2)  what inspection provision the Government has in place to measure the quality of autistic education;
	(3)  how much is spent on average on each autistic child in each education authority in Tyne and Wear in the current financial year;
	(4)  how many specialist teachers for autistic children there are in each education authority in Tyne and Wear;
	(5)  how many autistic children there are in each education authority in Tyne and Wear.

Margaret Hodge: The quality of educational provision in schools and local education authorities is the subject of inspections by the Office for Standards in Education. Ofsted look at how schools and local education authorities provide for all children, including those with special educational needs such as autistic spectrum disorders. They are currently carrying out a thematic study of how local education authorities and schools are implementing the inclusion framework introduced as a result of the SEN and Disability Act 2001 and this should be published in 2004. Information about Ofsted reports can be found at www. ofsted.gov.uk.
	Data is not collected centrally on:
	the spending of each local education authority on children with autistic spectrum disorders,
	the number of specialist teachers for autistic spectrum disorders in local education authorities, or
	the numbers of children with autistic spectrum disorders .
	Spending by local education authorities and schools on special educational needs is estimated at around 3.12 billion in 200203some 12.6 per cent. of the total overall spending on schools.
	Data on the numbers of children with different types of special educational needs, including autistic spectrum disorders, will be collected as part of the Pupil Level Annual Schools Census from January 2004. We anticipate that provisional data from the survey will be available in May 2004 and that final figures will be published in November 2004.
	Guidance from the Autism Working Group on good practice in provision for autistic spectrum disorders was issued to local education authorities in July 2002 and provides a practical tool for authorities to review and improve their provision for children on the autistic spectrum.

CAFCASS

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 1 September 2003, Official Report, column 719W, on CAFCASS, how many private law cases were unallocated (a) less than 10 weeks and (b) more than 10 weeks before a CAFCASS report is filed at court.

Margaret Hodge: CAFCASS's target is that at least 95 per cent. of requests in a month should be allocated 10 weeks before a report is filed at court. A benchmark of 10 weeks is used because this is the timescale required for an officer to complete relevant inquiries and meet the deadline for filing the report with the court. It also enables the service to be flexible when dealing with urgent cases that arise with shorter filing dates.
	In July 2003, CAFCASS dealt with 3,200 private law cases. Of these, 385 cases were unallocated less than 10 weeks before a report was filed at court. This is 4.7 per cent. of the caseload and achieved the target. 1,236 private law cases were unallocated more than 10 weeks before a report was filed at court.

Child Abuse

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what changes have been instituted since the publication of the Laming Report to enable the free exchange of information between agencies in child abuse investigations.

Margaret Hodge: On 19 May, my hon. Friend the then Health Minister, Jacqui Smith launched a booklet for practitioners who have concerns about the welfare of children. What To Do If You're Worried A Child Is Being Abused was published jointly by six Government Departments and is aimed at all practitioners who come into contact with children, parents and/or families in the course of their work.
	The booklet contains a short section on sharing information. This steers practitioners through the process of deciding whether to share information, and if so, what to share and with whom. It explains in a clear and concise way the issues involved in making decisions about sharing information. Copies of the booklet are available in the Library.
	The Green Paper Every Child Matters and Keeping Children Safethe Government's response to the Victoria Climbie Inquiry Report and the Joint Chief Inspectors' Report Safeguarding Children were published on 8 September, and copies are available in the Library.
	The Green Paper sets out proposals for new information sharing systems to enable concerns to be registered at an early stage and flagged up to relevant staff working with children. The Green Paper also explains how front-line workers will become more closely integrated through arrangements such as Children's Trusts.
	To take forward such information sharing systems, the Government provided 1 million to 10 'Identification, Referral and Tracking' (IRT) trailblazers involving 15 local authorities to test out approaches. We are putting in place a central team to learn lessons and develop a national framework for local information sharing systems. We will have early lessons from the trailblazers by December 2003, and more detailed information by late summer 2004. By the end of 2004, we aim to set out how the lessons from the trailblazers can be reflected across the country. As part of this, the Government will examine the potential benefits and risks of introducing ICT-based information sharing systems at local authority level.

Child Abuse

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to institute mandatory inquiries into unexpected child deaths.

Margaret Hodge: Paragraphs 117121 of Keeping Children SafeThe Government's response to The Victoria Climbie Inquiry Report and Joint Chief Inspectors' report Safeguarding Children, sets out the Government's position in relation to recommendations made by the Victoria Climbie Inquiry and the Joint Chief Inspectors relating to Serious Case Reviews and inquiries into child deaths.

Child Law Reform

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer to the hon. and learned Member for Redcar (Vera Baird) of 1 September 2003, Official Report, column 718W, on child law reform, which Minister has overall responsibility for child law reform.

Margaret Hodge: My Department has lead responsibility across Whitehall for policy on children, young people and the family. As Minister for Children, Young People and the Family in the DfES, I will keep under review the legislation relating to children and young people for which this Department is responsible. A number of other Ministers are responsible for legislation that impacts, either directly or indirectly, on children. I will work with these Ministers with a view to ensuring that their legislation contributes to the best possible outcomes for children and young people.

Children and Young People's Unit

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what work the Children and Young People's Unit undertakes in Scotland in relation to reserved matters.

Margaret Hodge: In terms of domestic policy, the Children and Young People's Unit has an England only remit. In terms of international policy, the Unit has a remit to co-ordinate the UK's participation in a number of international initiatives relating to children and young people, notably the EU Open Method of Co-Ordination on Youth Policy and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
	The EU Open Method of Co-Ordination on Youth Policy relates exclusively to devolved policy issuesyouth participation, local information services for young people, youth volunteering and youth research. Each Devolved Administration is responsible for implementing the obligations of this initiative, whilst the CYPU is responsible for overseeing implementation in England, for co-ordinating the UK's approach as a whole and for reporting UK progress to the European Commission.
	The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child covers both devolved and reserved issues. In the case of devolved policies (for example, health and social services, education, participation policy), the Devolved Administrations are responsible for observing the convention when making devolved policy decisions. In the case of reserved policies, the relevant Whitehall Department is responsible for observing the convention when making reserved policy decisions, and for consulting the Devolved Administrations as necessary. Examples of reserved policies covered by the convention are: asylum and immigration (Home Office), international development (DfID) and defence policies (MOD). The CYPU is responsible for co-ordinating the UK's approach as a whole across all policy leads (including the Devolved Administrations on devolved matters) and for reporting to the UN on UK implementation.
	When undertaking this co-ordinating role for international initiatives, the CYPU works in accordance with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Concordats with the Devolved Administrations on International and EU Relations, with full and regular working-level contacts with the Devolved Administrations.

Children's Directorate

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many officials will work in the new Children's Directorate in his Department.

Margaret Hodge: The number of officials who will work in the Children and Families Directorate of this Department will be determined by decisions on what functions are required to secure the best possible outcomes for children, young people and families, how those functions can be best organised within this Department and the resources needed for them to be carried out. I will be considering recommendations on those issues soon.

Civil Servants

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many civil servants have been employed by his Department in each of the years 199798 to 200203; and what the median and weighted mean salary is for each of these years.

Charles Clarke: The numbers of civil servants employed in my Department as at 1 April for the years in question were as follows.
	
		
			  Number of civil servants employed 
		
		
			 2002 4,170 
			 2001 4,775 
			 2000 4,303 
			 1999 3,948 
			 1998 3,838 
		
	
	The figures for 2003 are not yet available.
	Median and weighted mean salary information could be produced only at disproportionate costs.

Comprehensive Schools

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance he has issued to local education authorities in respect of the minimum size of comprehensive secondary schools; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The Department issues non-statutory guidance in Building Bulletin 82: Area Guidelines for Schools. This document, which is currently being revised, gives recommendations on overall floor areas and the sizes of individual spaces in relation to the number of pupils.

Connexions

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the budget for 200304 for the Connexions service is for each (a) local education authority and (b) Careers Service area; and how many young people there are in each of those areas.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 11 September 2003
	The Connexions Service is provided nationally by 47 Connexions Partnerships. The budget allocations for each Partnership and the number of young people in each Partnership area is given below. The careers service functions are now subsumed within Connexions. How much is spent in each local authority area is a matter for Connexions Partnership to decide based on local needs.
	
		1319 year old population  grant allocations by Connexions partnership
		
			  1319 population Total grant allocation (200304) million 
		
		
			 Bedfordshire  Luton 50,443 4,738,377 
			 Berkshire 70,668 6,233,298 
			 Birmingham  Solihull 115,837 13,035,551 
			 Black Country 98,410 11,471,386 
			 Bournemouth, Dorset  Poole 56,469 5,005,025 
			 Cambridgeshire  Peterborough 62,544 5,839,068 
			 Central London 102,829 15,335,249 
			 Cheshire  Warrington 74,385 6,849,066 
			 Cornwall  Devon 133,053 12,511,182 
			 County Durham 45,259 4,691,191 
			 Coventry  Warwickshire 72,316 6,959,745 
			 Cumbria 40,809 4,211,678 
			 Derbyshire 79,903 7,817,476 
			 East London 169,356 21,649,094 
			 Essex, Southend  Thurrock 132,913 12,621,280 
			 Gloucestershire 48,280 4,386,413 
			 Greater Manchester 237,663 26,251,106 
			 Greater Merseyside 143,438 17,407,792 
			 Hereford  Worcester 59,096 5,495,746 
			 Hertfordshire 89,549 7,584,278 
			 Humber 79,679 8,531,852 
			 Kent  Medway 136,973 12,940,734 
			 Lancashire 128,522 12,709,953 
			 Leicestershire 82,252 8,188,625 
			 Lincolnshire  Rutland 57,822 5,392,320 
			 M. Keynes, Oxfordshire  Bucks. 114,576 10,293,332 
			 Norfolk 63,483 6,270,498 
			 North London 83,678 9,774,835 
			 Northamptonshire 55,557 5,563,219 
			 Northumberland 27,006 2,875,134 
			 Nottinghamshire 91,166 9,642,650 
			 Shropshire, Telford  Wrekin 39,214 3,628,394 
			 Somerset 42,114 3,719,593 
			 South Central 153,355 14,244,717 
			 South London 105,237 10,330,508 
			 South Yorkshire 112,859 12,356,833 
			 Staffordshire 92,935 9,234,154 
			 Suffolk 54,878 5,157,784 
			 Surrey 87,305 7,866,666 
			 Sussex 115,980 11,075,372 
			 Tees Valley 63,221 7,142,333 
			 Tyne  Wear 100,435 11,664,903 
			 West London 111,400 12,056,005 
			 West of England 84,132 7,889,859 
			 West Yorkshire 191,799 20,541,868 
			 Wiltshire  Swindon 51 ,484 4,778,769 
			 York  North Yorks. 65,939 5,391,600 
			 Total England 4,276,221 439,356,51 
		
	
	The 1319 population data on which Connexions Service funding allocations are based use a combination of 1315 year old pupils in school taken from the Annual School Census at January 2001 and the number of 1619 year olds from the Estimated Resident Population Mid-2000 based on the 1991 Census by single year of age.

Domestic Violence

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what means he is using to educate young people at school about domestic violence issues;
	(2)  whether domestic violence and its impact is a topic in the citizenship syllabus;
	(3)  at what age he intends that education about the dangers and effects of domestic violence will be given to children at school.

Stephen Twigg: Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) teaches pupils about social and moral differences, including aggressive behaviour. Specifically in primary schools, pupils are taught how to get help, to realise the consequences of anti-social and aggressive behaviour, and to resolve differences by looking at alternatives. There are opportunities for schools to address violence, including domestic violence, through the framework of PSHE and Citizenship. In Citizenship, for example, pupils can discuss the impact of domestic violence and challenge the belief that domestic violence is inevitable and acceptable.
	Resources such as 'Watch Over Me' which has been sent to all secondary schools, support the teaching of domestic violence. This includes a video that highlights risks in different situations. This pack covers domestic violence, explaining the role of schools in conflict resolution, why schools should discuss domestic violence, and lesson plans.

Early-years Education (Buckinghamshire)

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of 3-year-olds have access to early years education in (a) Chesham and Amersham and (b) Buckinghamshire.

Margaret Hodge: The information is not available in the form requested.
	In January 2002, 2,500 free early years education places were taken up by 3-year-olds in Buckinghamshire local education authority area.
	We have made the commitment that by April 2004, six months ahead of our original target, all 3-year-olds whose parents want one, will have access to a free, part-time early education place.
	The latest figures on early years provision in England were published by the Department in the Statistical First Release 15/2003 Provision For Children Under Five Years Of Age In EnglandJanuary 2003 (Provisional), copies of which are available from the Library and the Department's website, www.dfes.gov. uk/rsgateway/.

Earned Autonomy Scheme

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools applied for the earned autonomy scheme; and how many have been (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful in being granted earned autonomy.

David Miliband: The Government is not currently operating an Earned Autonomy scheme, as defined in the Education Act 2002. Instead, it has taken a number of steps to extend autonomy across the school system more generally. In relation to teachers' pay and conditions, specific new freedoms have been introduced from 1 September this year which mean that schools have a greater degree of flexibility in relation to certain pay decisions. Changes to the curriculum at Key Stage 4 set out in the strategy document 1419: Opportunity and Excellence will enable schools to respond more flexibly to the needs of their pupils. We have established the Implementation Review Unita Panel of serving head teachers and other school staff to identify areas where schools can be freed from bureaucracy and red tape. The Power to Innovate offers all schools the chance to apply for innovative projects that would otherwise be blocked by education legislation. The Government is keeping under review whether to introduce an Earned Autonomy scheme as provided for in the 2002 Act.

Educational Scholarships

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what support the Government gives to companies that sponsor educational scholarships.

David Miliband: The Government are keen to encourage the involvement of companies and businesses in education. However, we regard the sponsorship of educational scholarships as a matter for the companies themselves.

Energy Performance Directive

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action he is taking (a) to encourage schools and colleges to respond to the requirements of the European Directive on the energy performance of buildings and (b) to monitor compliance with it.

Stephen Twigg: The Department is working closely with ODPM on actions required to implement the European Directive on energy performance. ODPM believe that many of the requirements of the directive can be implemented through changes to the Building Regulations and to Approved Document Part L2 (the next revision being due in 2005). As schools are required to comply with building regulations, any changes in energy performance requirements will apply to schools.
	The Department already encourages energy efficiency and management in schools through a number of measures. The Departments guidance on design of new school buildings promotes a carbon performance rating of 5kg C/m 2 per year or better, which is in line with current building regulations requirements.
	Further Education colleges will be responsible for compliance with the Directive in relation to their own premises and the Learning and Skills Council is updating its guidance to colleges on estate management to reflect the directive's requirements.
	The Departments approach to monitoring compliance is still being developed with ODPM.

European Court Ruling

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will publish the Government's response to the Council of Europe in respect of the European Court of Human Rights ruling in the 1998 A v UK judgment.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 18 September 2003
	In cases of alleged assault against children where the defence of reasonable chastisement is used, the Courts are obliged to take note of the outcome in the European Court of Human Rights of the A v UK case. Juries must now be directed, when considering the reasonableness of any punishment, to consider the nature and context of the defendant's behaviour, its duration, its physical and mental consequences in relation to the child and the reason given by the defendant administering punishment.
	The Government has asked the Attorney General to keep the use of the reasonable chastisement defence under review in order to assess the impact of A v UK. His findings to date suggest that this defence is being used properly.
	The Government's position is that these measures fulfil our obligations arising from the A v UK ruling and we will be responding to the Council of Europe accordingly. [We will publish this response after it has been presented to the Council of Europe in October.]

Fees Remission and Grants

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will estimate the number of students likely to qualify for (a) full fees remission, (b) partial fees remission and (c) maintenance grants under his revised proposals; and what the projected annual cost for each category of such remissions and grants is.

Alan Johnson: From 2004/05, the percentage of students receiving fee remission will be affected by the inclusion of the income of parents' spouses and co-habiting partners in the means-test. Future numbers and proportions of students receiving fee remission also depend on changes in demand for higher education.
	The latest data (provisional Academic Year 2001/02) available for English and Welsh domiciled students are:
	
		
			  (a) Full fee remission (b) Partial fee remission 
		
		
			 Student numbers (thousand) 334 127 
			 Percentage 43 16 
			 Cost ( million) (38)405 405 
		
	
	(38) Public expenditure on fees assessed for payment from public funds.
	Source:
	Form F503G survey of LEAs for Student Support Scheme students from England and Wales as published in the Statistical First Release of 29 April 2003.
	Once the Higher Education Grant in September 2004 has been introduced, it is estimated that around 30 per cent. of students will be eligible for the full grant and around 10 per cent. for a partial grant. The annual cost has been estimated at around 300 million.

Foster Parents

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  whether foster parents have the same maternity and paternity rights as other parents; and what assistance is given to foster parents willing to take on disabled children;
	(2)  how many children have been placed with foster parents in each year since 1997; and what measures have been taken to encourage more couples to foster children;
	(3)  what assistance is given to foster parents to take on children with behavioural problems; and whether it is compulsory for them to attend school;
	(4)  what age financial assistance to foster parents looking after children with behavioural problems stops; and what plans he has to extend payments to fosterers parenting for children reaching adult age

Margaret Hodge: Foster carers do not have the same right to maternity and paternity leave as other parents with respect to the children they are fostering. However, from April 2003 foster parents have the right to request flexible working. The recent Green Paper on Children at Risk Every Child Matters consults on a proposal for increasing parental rights for foster carers.
	Foster parents caring for disabled children may receive funding and support beyond and above a fostering allowance. This will be dependent on the child's needs.
	The table as follows shows the numbers of children in foster placements each year since 1997:
	
		Number of looked after children in foster care in England at 31 March: 19972002
		
			 At 31 March All children in foster placement(39) 
		
		
			 1997 33,500 (66% of all children looked after) 
			 1998 35,000 (65% of all children looked after) 
			 1999 36,200 (65% of all children looked after) 
			 2000 37,900 (65% of all children looked after) 
			 2001 38,300 (65% of all children looked after) 
			 2002 39,200 (66% of all children looked after) 
		
	
	(39) Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short term placements
	Source:
	The information provided is derived from the SSDA903, a one in three sample survey of all looked after children in England, completed by local councils with social services responsibilities.
	The Choice Protects Review has been set up to strengthen fostering services and has a grant of 113 million over three years from 20034 attached to it. To support local recruitment the Review has commissioned Fostering Network to develop Good Practice Guidelines for the Recruitment of Foster Carers, which will be available shortly, and is also developing a recruitment toolkit for local authorities. The recent Green Paper on Children at Risk Every Child Matters consults on further proposals to encourage more people to consider fostering.
	Treatment foster care is a new three year scheme linked to the Choice Protects Review, which aims to provide foster care for the most difficult to place children. two million has been made available to set up development projects in 20034 and a further three million is available for new bids in 20045.
	Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 states that: The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him to receive efficient full-time education suitable:
	(a) to his age, ability and aptitude, and
	(b) to any special educational needs he may have, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise.
	The Children Leaving Care Act 2000 places a duty on local authorities to provide general assistance for looked after young people, including those with behavioural problems, in cash or in kind, until they are 21, and to assist with employment, education and training.

Free School Meals

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what the face value is of the free school meal voucher or equivalent provided by each local education authority in England;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to ensure that the value of a free school meal voucher or equivalent provided by local education authorities enables pupils using cafeteria systems to purchase a two-course lunch and a drink which conform to the nutritional standards laid down by his Department.

Stephen Twigg: holding answer 15 September 2003
	It is the responsibility of the local education authority or, where a budgetary element for school meals has been delegated to them, a school's governing body to decide the monetary value of a free school meal. The Department for Education and Skills, does not collect data on the value of the free school meal voucher.
	'Healthy School Lunches' guidance, produced by this Department, includes the Secretary of State's strong recommendation that the value of a free meal should be set to enable eligible pupils to have a standard two course lunch and a drink.

Free School Meals

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what guidance he has issued to schools on introducing systems which do not make pupils receiving free meals readily identifiable;
	(2)  if he will provide incentives for schools to increase the take-up of free school meals; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Twigg: holding answer 15 September 2003
	The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) funded research, commissioned to the Child Poverty Action Group, into the reasons children fail to take up their free school meal entitlement. The findings were published in a research report (RR270) entitled 'Improving the Take-Up of Free School Meals' in May 2001. The study identified a number of good practice strategies that could be adopted to encourage more parents and pupils to take up their entitlement. It also suggested that every effort should be made to ensure that pupils receiving free school meals are not easily identifiable. For example, this could be achieved if schools that operate a cafeteria system introduce cashless systems such as swipe cards.
	The report is published on the DfES Research and Statistics Gateway website www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/ Alternatively, copies of the report can be obtained from DfES Publications by telephoning: 0845 6022260 quoting reference RR270.
	The Department of Education and Skills has no plans at present to provide incentives for schools to increase the take-up of free school meals.

Free School Meals

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average time taken by each local education authority between a parent registering for free school meals and the provision of free meals to their children was in the last year for which figures are available.

Stephen Twigg: holding answer 15 September 2003
	The Department for Education and Skills does not collect this information.

Free Tuition

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how he will define the qualifying breadth of a qualification at Level 2 to which an entitlement to free tuition will be attached.

Alan Johnson: Adult learners will be eligible for free tuition to reach their first full level 2 qualification. The White Paper 21st Century Skills; Realising Our Potential (Cmnd 5810) stated that a full level 2 would be interpreted as covering any qualification equivalent in standard and breadth to 5 GCSEs at A*-C or a National Vocational Qualification at level 2. We are working with the Learning and Skills Council and the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority to identify in detail which qualifications meet this definition.

Further Education

Harold Best: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students there were in further education in Leeds, North-West in each year since 1997.

Ivan Lewis: The numbers of people resident in Leeds, North-West constituency who were students at Further Education colleges in each year since 1997/98 are shown in the table. Due to the way the data is collected, figures prior to 2000/01 are only available for students funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), or as it was then, the Further Education Funding Council (FEFC). Learners not funded by the council are included for 200001 and 200102.
	
		Numbers of people resident in Leeds North West constituency studying at Further Education colleges by year (thousands)
		
			 Academic year Council funded Non-council funded 
		
		
			 199798 5.4 N/a 
			 199899 5.4 N/a 
			 19992000 5.3 N/a 
			 200001 4.9 1.0 
			 200102 5.4 1.1 
		
	
	Source
	Individualised Student Record

Gifted Children

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures are in place to ensure that gifted children that are (a) moved up educational years at school and (b) placed in a different school retain contact with their peer group.

David Miliband: It is rare for a gifted pupil to be accelerated to an older year group for all subjects, and rarer still to be placed in a different school. Such decisions are taken locally. Schools and local education authorities should take account of all relevant factors, particularly the academic and social needs of the student concerned.

Internet Access

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the internet access available to the economically disadvantaged.

Charles Clarke: We assess internet access through quarterly surveys produced by the Office for National Statistics. Access is tracked by income, age, gender and region. Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (published in July) show that levels of internet access in the UK continue to grow. 54 per cent. of the adult population are now regular users of the internet.
	However the figures also show that take-up among economically disadvantaged groups is lower. 12 per cent. of households in the lowest income group have internet access compared to 86 per cent. in the highest income group.
	In May and June, to help drive up levels of internet among those less likely to be online the Office of the e-Envoy, supported by the Department for Education and Skills ran the Get Started campaign. The campaign promoted the benefits of the internet to key groups such as the unemployed, lone parents, those with disabilities and the elderly. People were encouraged to visit UK online centres throughout the country that offered free internet starter sessions. Evaluation of the campaign, particularly its impact on economically disadvantaged groups, will be completed shortly.

Key Stage Attainment

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of children who attained (a) level 4 in mathematics Key Stage 2 assessment in 1998 achieved level 5 or above in mathematics Key Stage 3 assessment in 2001; and what proportion who attained level 5 in mathematics Key Stage 2 assessment in 1998 achieved level 6 or above in mathematics Key Stage 3 assessment in 2001.

David Miliband: The information requested is as follows:
	Of those pupils who achieved level 4 or above in the 1998 Key Stage 2 Maths tests, the proportion who went on to achieve level 5 or above in the 2001 Key Stage 3 Maths tests was 92.6 per cent.
	Of those pupils who achieved level 5 or above in the 1998 Key Stage 2 Maths tests, the proportion who went on to achieve level 6 or above in the 2001 Key Stage 3 Maths tests was 96.5 per cent.

Key Stage Attainment

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of children who attained level 4 in English Key Stage 2 assessment in 1998 achieved level 5 or above in English Key Stage 3 assessment in 2001; and what proportion who attained level 5 in English Key Stage 2 assessment in 1998 achieved level 6 or above in English Key Stage 3 assessment in 2001.

David Miliband: The information requested is as follows:
	Of those pupils who achieved level 4 or above in the 1998 Key Stage 2 English tests, the proportion who went on to achieve level 5 or above in the 2001 Key Stage 3 English tests was 85.4 per cent.
	Of those pupils who achieved level 5 or above in the 1998 Key Stage 2 English tests, the proportion who went on to achieve level 6 or above in the 2001 Key Stage 3 English tests was 81.6 per cent.

Learning and Skills Councils

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of funds available to the Learning and Skills Council was devolved to the discretion of local LSCs in (a) 200102, (b) 200203 and (c) 200304; and what proportion is projected for 200405.

Alan Johnson: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. John Harwood, the Council's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Gentleman with the information requested and place a copy in the Library.

Learning and Skills Councils

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what changes he is making in financial provision for learning and skills councils for the next three financial years; what assessment he made of the effect of these changes; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Johnson: The budgets allocated to the Learning and Skills Council for the next three financial years were set out in the Grant Letter to the LSC on 5 December 2002. A copy of this was placed at the time in the Library. The budget figures in the letter are 8,095 million in 200304, rising to 8,618 million in 200405 and 9,200 million in 200506. These figures represent record levels of investment in the learning and skills sector and will substantially improve standards and increase the number of people engaged in learning.
	Decisions relating to the allocation of budgets by the LSC National Office to local LSCs are a matter for the LSC. Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive from 1 October 2003 will write to the hon. Gentleman with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.

Level 2 Qualification

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how he will ascertain whether students seeking to access free tuition for a Level 2 qualification have no existing higher qualifications.

Ivan Lewis: We are working with the Learning and Skills Council to evaluate the use of existing data systems for checking whether applicants have already gained a relevant qualification. We shall be using the experienced gained in the Employer Training Pilots to assess the risks. The phased introduction of the entitlement provides the opportunity to test that light tough but robust validation procedures are in place.

National Literacy Strategy

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the effect of the National Literacy Strategy on literacy skills among primary school pupils in (a) Chesham and Amersham and (b) Buckinghamshire.

Stephen Twigg: The National Literacy Strategy has transformed standards of literacy in our primary schools. Nationally, 75 per cent. of pupils achieved level 4 or above in the 2003 Key Stage 2 English tests, 10 percentage points more than in 1998.
	The results in Buckinghamshire LEA show that in 1998 73 per cent. of pupils achieved level 4 or above in English at Key Stage 2. In 2003 the figure was 80 per cent. We are unable to disaggregate results for schools in Chesham and Amersham.

National Literacy Strategy

Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the effect of the National Literacy Strategy on literacy skills amongst primary school children in Tynemouth constituency.

Stephen Twigg: The National Literacy Strategy has transformed standards of literacy in our primary schools. Nationally, 75 per cent. of pupils achieved level 4 or above in the 2003 Key Stage 2 English tests, 10 percentage points more than in 1998.
	The improvement in literacy standards of pupils in North Tyneside LEA has been greater than the national improvement. In 1998, 65 per cent. of pupils achieved level 4 or above in English at Key Stage 2. In 2003 the figure was 77 per cent. We are unable to disaggregate results for Tynemouth schools.

National Literacy Strategy

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the representations made by his Department to the Centre for British Teachers regarding the management and delivery of the primary (a) literacy and (b) numeracy strategies in the last three years.

Stephen Twigg: The Department for Education and Skills has a close working relationship with CfBT Education Services and is in daily communication with its representatives regarding the management and delivery of the primary literacy and numeracy strategies.

National Literacy Strategy

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what changes his Department plans to make to the management and delivery of the primary (a) literacy and (b) numeracy strategies.

Stephen Twigg: The separate professional teams responsible for the delivery of the national literacy and numeracy strategies within the contract between the Department and CfBT Education Services have been brought together this year under the leadership of a new Director of the Primary Strategy. The Primary Strategy force has a central role in delivering the Government's commitments set out in Excellence and Enjoyment.

Mathematics/Science Education

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps have been taken to improve the recruitment of young people into electronic engineering since the publication of his Department's Research Report No.112, The Labour Market for Engineering, Science and IT Graduates: Are there Mismatches Between Supply and Demand?

Charles Clarke: My Department is working actively with the DTI and with the industry to address the issues raised. Following the recent Roberts Review, Government have announced the largest sustained growth in science and engineering expenditure for a decade, with 1.25 billion extra a year by 200506.
	We are improving the careers advice available to young people. We are committed to expanding higher and vocational education provision in order to deliver the skills and qualities that individuals need in the workplace. This includes the establishment of progression routes for vocational learning from Vocational GCSEs through to Modern Apprenticeships, Foundation Degrees and Graduate Apprenticeships.
	Examples of collaboration between DTI, DfES and the sector includes 'Electronics in Schools' to enable more schools to provide the teaching of electronics within schools, therefore making 1114 year olds more aware of electronics and the opportunities available, and the 'Shell Technology Enterprise Programme' which provides undergraduates with a placement in the field of electronics on completion of their degree.
	One of the first Sector Skills Council's we have licensed is SEMTA, the Science, Engineering and Technologies Alliance. They will be the key to our on-going work in identifying and addressing gaps between the supply and demand of suitably qualified people.

Mathematics/Science Education

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what have been the student participation rates for physics at A level standard in the last five years.

David Miliband: The number of entries for physics A level by all candidates in all schools and further education sector colleges in England in 19982002:
	
		
			  Physics Total GCEA level entries Percentage of total GCE A level entries 
		
		
			 2002 28,642 666,479 4.3 
			 2001 28,616 707,784 4.0 
			 2000 28,945 709,580 4.1 
			 1999 30,428 720,304 4.2 
			 1998 30,605 724,852 4.2 
		
	
	Figures for 2003 are due to be published on 8 October 2003 and will be available on the Department's website.

Mathematics/Science Education

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what incentives his Department is giving to students to study mathematics and physics at A-level;
	(2)  what action his Department is taking to encourage the development of (a) the Filtronics plc Maths Scheme and (b) other industry schemes to encourage young people to study mathematics at school;
	(3)  what progress has been made following the meeting between his Department's officials and Filtronics plc on 29 January to consider the Filtronics plc Maths Scheme.

David Miliband: The Department does not offer incentives to students to study any particular A-level subjects. Students should choose those subjects which are the most appropriate for their individual skills and aspirations. The independent Post-14 Maths Inquiry is due to publish its final report by the end of October and has received evidence from a wide range of interested organisations, including Filtronic. The inquiry is expected to make recommendations on the curriculum, qualifications and pedagogy for those aged 14 and over in schools, colleges and higher education institutions to enable students to acquire the mathematical knowledge and skills necessary to meet the wide-ranging needs of employers and of further and higher education. In view of this, consideration of local initiatives and schemes such as Filtronic's should rightly take place once we have had the opportunity to consider the inquiry's final report.

Mathematics/Science Education

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what state scholarships there are to support students studying accredited courses in mathematics, physics and engineering.

Alan Johnson: There are no state scholarships available to students undertaking maths, physics or engineering courses. However, there is a range of statutory, targeted and discretionary financial support available to undergraduate students irrespective of discipline.

Microsoft

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was paid to Microsoft in licensing fees by his Department and its agencies in each of the last three years; and how much has been budgeted for (a) 200304 and (b) 200405.

Charles Clarke: From our records the Department for Education and Skills has spent the following amounts on Microsoft products in licensing fees in the last three years:
	
		
		
			 Year Amount spent 
		
		
			 200001 (40)1.4 million 
			 200102 538,000 
			 200203 215,000 
		
	
	(40) Includes 1,130,000 on Computers within Reach Project.
	For 200304 and 200405, 350,000 has been budgeted for each year.

Numeracy Strategy (Tynemouth)

Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the effect of the National Numeracy Strategy on numeracy skills among primary school children in Tynemouth constituency.

Stephen Twigg: The National Numeracy Strategy has transformed standards of numeracy in our primary schools. Nationally, 73 per cent. of pupils achieved level 4 or above in the 2003 Key Stage 2 mathematics tests, 14 percentage points more than in 1998.
	The improvement in numeracy standards of pupils in North Tyneside LEA has been greater than the national improvement. In 1998, 59 per cent. of pupils achieved level 4 or above in mathematics at Key Stage 2. In 2003 the figure was 76 per cent. We are unable to disaggregate results for Tynemouth schools.

Ofsted Inspections

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer of 2 July 2003, Official Report, column 293W, on school setting, 
	(1)  what percentage of maintained secondary school lessons inspected by Ofsted between 1995 and 2002 in (a) Year 7, (b) Year 8, (c) Year 9, (d) Year 10 and (e) Year 11 were recorded as set by ability in (i) history, (ii) geography, (iii) music and (iv) religious education;
	(2)  what percentage of maintained schools in West Sussex LEA inspected by Ofsted between 1995 and 2002 in (a) Year 7, (b) Year 8, (c) Year 9, (d) Year 10 and (e) Year 11 were recorded as set by ability in (i) history, (ii) geography, (iii) music and (iv) religious education.

David Miliband: These are matters for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, David Bell, will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of his letter in the Library.

Parliamentary Questions

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many Questions directed to him remain unanswered.

Stephen Twigg: 35.

PFI (Schools)

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the Private Finance Initiative in schools.

Charles Clarke: There are now 59 Schools PFI contracts signed covering 595 schools with a total capital value of 1.6 billion. Services have started in 39 projects, which include more than 100 brand new, replacement or refurbished schools.
	In addition, 36 schools projects and 4 ICT projects have been approved by the Project Review Group (PRG) and are in procurement. The total capital value for these is over 1.6 billion and they involve more than 600 schools. Nineteen further projects covering more than 260 schools have been prioritised for support by DfES. The amount of PFI credits has been significantly increased by this Government, from 35 million in 199798 to a planned 1.05 billion in 200405.

Retraining (Upper Age Limits)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make it his policy to remove upper age limits for retraining into a new job under Government training schemes.

Ivan Lewis: We want to ensure that people of all ages can acquire skills that enable them to fulfil their own potential and meet the needs of employers. Our Skills Strategy, 21st Century SkillsRealising Our Potential signalled a number of important developments, including opening up Modern Apprenticeships to older workers and developing a Level 2 entitlement intended for people in the workforce who are not already qualified at that level.

Schools

Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps his Department has taken to reduce the number of school (a) exclusions and (b) truants.

Ivan Lewis: Under our innovative Behaviour and Attendance Strategy, we are providing 470 million between 2002 and 2006 to schools and local education authorities to encourage prevention and early intervention in tackling the root causes of truancy and the poor behaviour that can lead to exclusion.
	The Government are putting in place unprecedented measures to prevent bad behaviour. For example, we have introduced targeted Behaviour Improvement Programmes in 61 areas. We are providing training and support to all secondary schools and we are piloting similar resources in up to 3,500 primary schools. Through these initiatives, we are promoting successful alternatives to exclusion, although we recognise that head teachers retain the right to exclude pupils in the case where they judge that is necessary.
	We are determined to tackle the long standing problem of truancy and its negative impact on children's life chances. The Government now co-ordinates truancy sweeps at a national level. We provide expert support and advice to the 56 education welfare services facing the largest challenges. We are bearing down on parentally condoned truancy through national implementation of the Fast Track to Prosecution initiative. Through the Anti-Social Behaviour Bill, we are seeking to introduce parenting contracts and penalty notices for the parents of persistent truants.

Schools

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many times consent has been given to a relaxation of the minimum area standard for team game playing fields at schools, under section 543 of the Education Act 1996 (as amended by paragraph 159 of Schedule 30 to the School Standards and Framework Act 1998), in each of the last five years.

Stephen Twigg: The Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999 set out the minimum size of team game playing fields that should be provided for schools according to the age and number of pupils attending those schools. The Secretary of State's agreement is needed if changes to the team game playing field provision mean that a school falls, or remains, below the minimum required by the Regulations. This means that agreement is also needed if a school already below the required minimum makes any changes to its team game playing fields, even if it results in an increase.
	We have no central records before 2000. Six applications were agreed in 2000, 25 in 2001, 11 in 2002, and 9 so far in 2003. Of these 41 approved applications, 31 (75 per cent.) resulted in either no change or an increase in the amount of team game playing field provided for schools.

Schools

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) classroom assistants and (b) teachers in schools there were in (i) the Chesham and Amersham constituency and (ii) Buckinghamshire in each year since 1997.

David Miliband: The number of full time equivalent (FTE) regular teachers and teaching assistants in the maintained sector in Chesham and Amersham constituency and Buckinghamshire LEA since 1997 are shown in the following table.
	
		Teachers and teaching assistants in Chesham  Amersham constituency and Buckinghamshire: 1997 to 2003
		
			  Chesham  Amershamconstituency Buckinghamshire LEA  
			  FTE number of teachers(41) FTE number of teaching assistants(41),(42) FTE number of teachers(43) FTE number of teaching assistants(41),(42) 
		
		
			 1997 850 80 (44) (44) 
			 1998 860 100 3,790 460 
			 1999 870 90 3,740 470 
			 2000 880 100 3,930 490 
			 2001 890 110 3,900 570 
			 2002 930 170 4,030 760 
			 2003 (45)860 160 4,240 710 
		
	
	(41) Source: Annual Schools Census.
	(42) Includes nursery assistants, special needs support staff, minority ethnic pupil support staff and other teaching assistants
	(43) Source: 618g annual survey of teacher number and vacancies
	(44) Not available on a consistent basis because of local government reorganisation
	(45) provisional
	Note:
	Teacher numbers for 2003 from the Annual School Census are provisional. Annual School Census and 618G have a survey data of the third Thursday in January.
	Source:
	618g annual survey of teacher number and vacancies.

Schools

Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the local authorities' schools funding taskforce.

David Miliband: holding answer 18 June 2003
	The Department for Education and Skills is working in partnership with LEA and school representatives to identify changes that need to be made to the funding system for 200405 so that all schools can expect to receive a reasonable per pupil settlement in that year. We have been discussing how best to ensure sufficient funding increases for every LEA; the right balance between support through general grant and through ring-fenced and targeted grant; how to give confidence that schools and pupils will receive the money intended for them; the right balance between school and LEA central provision; how to ensure that that variations in the budget increases received by different schools within each LEA are appropriate and fair; and how work force reform, in line with the National Agreement, can be sustained. We will aim to ensure that changes are in place in good time to allow LEAs and schools to plan for 200405 and so provide increased predictability and stability in school funding.

Sixth Form Colleges

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent representations he has received on the adequacy of public funding to support pay increases in sixth form colleges; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Johnson: On 1 September I met with sixth form college employers' and union representatives to discuss funding for sixth form colleges. The outcome of the Spending Review 2002 provides a good settlement for the FE sector. In 200304 assumed total funding for further education allocated to the Learning and Skills Council has increased by 6 per cent. in real terms compared with 200203. The funding allocated to the Learning and Skills Council also assumes there will be year on year real terms increases in total funding for further education of 7 per cent. in 200405 and 5 per cent. in 200506. Sixth form colleges are independent organisations. It is for them to determine the level of pay increases for their staff in negotiation with the trade unions within the resources available.

Students

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what information he collates on possible changes to the pattern of student enrolment paying (a) controlled undergraduate fees and (b) undergraduate fees as a result of his student support proposals.

Alan Johnson: We do not have any specific estimates of the possible change to the pattern of student number enrolments as we do not know which universities will be charging the variable fees and which will be charging controlled fees. However initial analysis suggests that we can expect enrolment to continue to rise over the course of the decade. We continue to monitor enrolment through a number of sources such as UCAS, HESA and HEFCE.

Students

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research he has collated on the opportunity costs incurred by full-time students in higher education.

Alan Johnson: The opportunity costs incurred by students participating in higher education (HE) comprise the earnings they could have earned had they not been studying net of the income they receive through working during their studies. Both these income streams vary between individuals.
	Individuals with two or more A-levels who have been in the labour market for up to three years have average net annual earnings of around 8,300 1 . Over a three year, full-time HE course this would be equivalent to around 25,000 in foregone earnings.
	However, many students also work while studying. Student Income and Expenditure Survey (SIES) data indicate that full-time first-degree students typically earn around 5,000 2 over the duration of their course. This means that an overall opportunity cost for full-time first-degree students who enter with two or more A-levels is on average around 20,000. However, this average figure will vary widely between individual students.
	1 Based on spring 2003 LFS data for the UK, covering men and women aged 1824 whose highest qualifications are two or more A-levels. Individuals are assumed to be UK employees who have been in the labour market for up to three years. Individuals are assumed to work 52 weeks per year.
	2 Based on SIES 1998/99 data for full-time first-degree UK students aged 18 to 24-years-old. Net earnings are up-rated by the average earnings index in order to get equivalent spring 2003 data.

Students

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the Higher Education Funding Council for England and the Office for Fair Access will share (a) chief executives and (b) accounting officers.

Alan Johnson: As we set out in Widening Participation in Higher Education, the Office for Fair Access will be separate from but supported by HEFCE. It will exercise its independent judgment in considering and monitoring access agreements. We will give more detail on its organisation when we introduce the Higher Education Bill.

Students

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if the remission of tuition fees for higher education by British public sector organisations has been approved as (a) a state aid under European legislation and (b) non-taxable under British revenue law.

Alan Johnson: State aid (as defined under Article 87(1) of the European Treaty) does not apply to educational functions such as the remission of tuition fees for higher education students. There is therefore no need for approval.
	No special approvals are required for the treatment of fee remission arrangements. Existing tax law provides methods by which such arrangements can be exempt from tax, depending on the circumstances.

Students

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has for obtaining information on (a) students' financial situation, (b) living conditions and (c) academic experiences from interested bodies, with particular reference to the Higher Education Funding Council for England and the National Union of Students, and for disseminating information between these bodies.

Alan Johnson: The Department has conducted a Student Income and Expenditure Survey (SIES) for the 2002/03 academic year. It will provide up-to-date information on the finances and living arrangements for full-time, young, single, childless, English and Welsh domiciled students who are undertaking an undergraduate degree at publicly funded higher education institutions in England and Wales in 2002/03. The National Union of Students (NUS) and Universities UK (UUK) are represented on the SIES steering committee.
	The new National Student Survey, which is being developed by the Higher Education Funding Council for England, will collect students' views on their learning experiences from 2004 onwards. The Council is working with key sector partners, including the National Union of Students, to develop the Survey. The results of the Survey will be publicly available.

Sure Start

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many relevant children there are in each of the Birkenhead Sure Start areas; and how many of these children have been contacted by Sure Start.

Margaret Hodge: The three Sure Start local programmes in Birkenhead were developed and approved on different timescales. This is reflected in their level of activity and the number of children they are reaching.
	Sure Start Birkenhead North was approved in August 2000 and has reported that since then it has contacted over 95 per cent. of the 648 children living in the area. Sure Start Ferries was approved in January 2002 and has estimated that it has to date contacted over 74 per cent. of the 741 children living in the area. Sure Start Birkenhead Central was approved in January 2003 and has so far contacted 33 per cent. of the 868 children living in the area.

Sure Start

Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the benefits of the Sure Start Scheme.

Margaret Hodge: A large scale, comprehensive evaluation of the Sure Start programme is under way. This will establish what works to improve outcomes for young children and their families, in the short, medium and long term.
	By its nature many of the benefits of Sure Start will be long term: so the evaluation is tracking 8,000 children over timeinitially at nine months, three years and five yearsand then beyond. The first information will be available by spring 2004.
	The evaluation is also examining how the programme is being implemented. To date assessments have been published on Setting Up Sure Start, Early Experiences of Implementing Sure Start, Characteristics of Sure Start Areas and Fathers in Sure Start Areas. These assessments show that many of the necessary building blocks for successful Sure Start programmes, such as joint working and involvement of parents in planning and delivering services, are being put in place.
	These publications and further information about the National Evaluation can be found at www.surestart.gov.uk/ensuringquality/research/local programmeevaluation/

Sure Start

Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many Sure Start schemes there are in the north east; and what their total cost has been.

Margaret Hodge: A total of 63 Sure Start Local Programmes have been approved in the north east of England. To date we have given approval for over 33.2 million capital and paid just over 46.1 million in revenue for Sure Start Local Programmes in the North East of England to help reach 238,000 0 to 3-years-old children. Some of the programmes have started delivering full Sure Start services for parents and families in their area and others are at various stages of delivery.

Teachers

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the relationship between SATS scores and the results of teacher assessment at Key Stage Two.

David Miliband: holding answer 11 September 2003
	Testing of all pupils at the end of each key stage of education provides objective evidence, against a national standard, of what children have learned in the core subjects. Teacher assessment is an important part of the overall statutory assessment framework and covers the full range and scope of the programmes of study, taking into account evidence of achievement in a range of contexts, including that gained through discussion and observation.
	The evidence from both types of assessment, together provides, valuable information to support the future learning of each pupil.
	The results from teacher assessment and tests are broadly consistent, but they are derived from different sources of evidence of a pupil's attainment.

Teachers

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teachers he estimates will lose their jobs in (a) the Chesham and Amersham constituency and (b) Buckinghamshire as a result of the financial problems encountered by schools in England in the next school year; and how many (i) teaching and (ii) other staff posts he estimates will remain unfilled for the same reason.

David Miliband: My right hon. Friend has made no such estimate. Provisional statistics on teacher and support staff numbers and teacher vacancies at January 2003 were published in April in Statistical First Release 10/2003. Statistics released on 9 September provided regional and LEA level breakdowns of these figures. Provisional national figures for January 2004 are due to be published next April. As I made clear in my reply to the hon. Member of 8 September 2003, Official Report, column 112w, the broad assessment of changes in teaching staff numbers made by my Department in liaison with local education authorities (LEAs) in May this year did not provide a definitive picture.

Teachers

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the subjects which have missed targets for teacher training recruitment in the last year for which figures are available.

David Miliband: My Department has moved from a system which obliges teacher training providers to aim for a particular intake target to one that incentivises them to recruit as many good candidates as they can in the areas where new teachers are needed most. That is why 4,000 more conventional teacher training places and over 5,000 more employment-based training places will be funded in 2003/04 than were being funded in 1996/97. The table shows the number of conventional teacher training places funded in 2002/03 by subject and phase; the number of entrants who took up these places; and the number of recruits to employment-based teacher training in that year. Numbers of funded employment-based training places are not specified in advance by subject or phase.
	
		
			 2002/03 Initial teacher training places Entrants to initial teacher training Entrants to employment based teacher training 
		
		
			 Primary 14,000 14,451 1,659 
			 
			 Secondary
			 Mathematics 1,940 1,673 382 
			 English and drama 2,350 2,479 649 
			 Science 2,850 2,701 506 
			 Modern Foreign Languages 2,050 1,732 221 
			 Technology(46) 2,500 2,404 653 
			 History 950 985 79 
			 Geography 1,100 946 59 
			 Physical Education 1,200 1,325 138 
			 Art 850 885 82 
			 Music 700 596 68 
			 Religious Education 700 576 62 
			 Citizenship 200 185 15 
			 Other 300 174 100 
			 Secondary Reserve 100   
			 Total secondary 17,790 16,661 3,014 
			 Overall Total 31,790 31,112 4,673 
			 Fast Track n/a 117 n/a 
			 Total (including Fast Track) 31,790 31,229 4,673 
		
	
	(46) Technology includes design and technology, business studies and information technology
	Source:
	TTA

Teenage Pregnancy

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what evaluation he has made of the effectiveness of the Teenage Pregnancy Unit working with local teenage pregnancy units; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: The Teenage Pregnancy Unit was established in 1999 with a cross Whitehall remit to manage implementation of the Strategy. The first independent evaluation report of the Strategy, published in 2002, commended the joint working between the Teenage Pregnancy Unit, Regional Teenage Pregnancy Co-ordinators based in Government Offices and Local Teenage Pregnancy Co-ordinators who lead the implementation of strategies in each top tier local authority. The second annual report of the national evaluation will be published shortly.
	The report acknowledged the success of these arrangements as a major factor in wielding influence at local level. The effectiveness of joint working was also recognised in the first annual report of the Independent Advisory Group on Teenage Pregnancy, published in 2001. The importance of joint working was reinforced in the second annual report of the Independent Advisory Group on Teenage Pregnancy, published in July 2003.
	There are very encouraging signs that the Government's overall teenage pregnancy strategy is working. Data for 2001 published in February by the Office for National Statistics shows that conceptions among under 18-year-olds in England fell by 3 per cent. and represents a total reduction of 10 per cent. since 1998. For under 16s, the rate is 4 per cent. lower than in 2000 and represents a 10 per cent. reduction since 1998.

University Medical Schools (Funding)

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer of 18 July 2003, Official Report, column 749W, which university medical schools are in receipt of funding from the improving retention pot as a result of admitting full-time students under 21 with an A-level points score of less than 3 C's to study medicine; how many such students each medical school has admitted; and how much such funding each school has attracted.

Alan Johnson: The Higher Education Funding Council for England, in making funding allocations to institutions to improve retention, does not allocate funds to particular individuals, departments or schools. How they are distributed internally is entirely at the discretion of institutions. Information on how much funding is passed on to individual medical schools is not available.

University Research

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will report progress in preparing a single measure of research excellence on the basis of collaboration between university departments and external partners.

Patricia Hewitt: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government are working with other partners to develop appropriate metrics for the science base and knowledge transfer.
	This work will be informed by the conclusions of the review of the Research Assessment Exercise which is due to report during the next few months.

University Research

Harold Best: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proposals the Government have to increase funding for departmental research in UK universities.

Alan Johnson: The Government have announced the most generous research settlement for many years, with overall expenditure on science and research increasing by 1.25 billion a year by 200506 compared to 200203around 30 per cent. in real terms. In our grant letter to the Higher Education Funding Council for England this year, we announced increased quality-related funding for research in higher education institutions of 80 million in 200304, 107 million in 200405 and 246 million in 200506.

Visual Impairment

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will assess the level of accessibility for visually impaired people in (a) UK Online Centres and (b) Online Centres in Wales.

Charles Clarke: holding answer 16 September 2003
	The Department allocated 199 million of Capital Modernisation Funding (CMF) to fund around 2,800 UK online centres specifically to provide ICT access to the disadvantaged. One main target group centres were set up to reach people with disabilities. Centres are expected to demonstrate that they comply with current requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act and other legal requirements around Equal Opportunities. This element is scrutinised as part of the contract monitoring process.
	One way that my Department is looking to improve accessibility for the disabled and visually impaired in UK online centres is a package of 811 Assistive Technology kits. These kits have been made available to help some centres meet the immediate, basic, access requirements of a wide range of disabled people. For example, for visually-impaired users the package includes a large keyboard with big keys as well as magnification and screen reading software.
	The Department also has contracts in place with key organisations such as AbilityNet, Direct Support and Becta to ensure that there is adequate support and guidance for UK online centres and centre staff on a wide range of issues including people disabilities.
	I am afraid I am unable to advise you on Online Centres in Wales as the DfES are only responsible for centres in England. May I suggest you speak to National Assembly for Wales, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff CF99 1NA, Tel: 029 20 825111.

DEFENCE

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the incident in the Mansur district of Baghdad on 27 July, with particular reference to the number of Iraqi civilians killed by US forces during that incident.

Geoff Hoon: UK Armed Forces were not involved in the incident in question. We do not possess sufficient information to comment on incidents involving Coalition partners' Armed Forces.

Iraq

Richard Page: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of coalition forces were killed in Iraq from the end of the conflict to 1 September.

Adam Ingram: Between the end of the conflict and 1 September, 16 United Kingdom armed forces personnel and one member of the Defence Fire Service (DFS) had died. Eleven, all from the armed forces, were killed in action or subsequently died of wounds received and six, including the member of the DFS, died in non-battle accidents or from natural causes.
	We do not hold data on the numbers of fatalities suffered by other members of the coalition.

Iraq

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions the Government has had with allies on the use of NATO peacekeepers in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: The possibility of NATO involvement in stabilisation operations in Iraq has been the subject of discussion within NATO and, bilaterally, between allies. Following the NATO ministerial meeting in June 2003, a communiqu was released that read:
	The North Atlantic Council will review NATO's contribution to the stabilisation efforts on a regular basis.
	The North Atlantic Council has also agreed for NATO to support the Polish-led Multinational Division (Centre South) in Iraq. This support includes assistance with the force generation of the Multinational Division (Centre South), provision of NATO owned and operated satellite communications and advice on logistics.

Iraq

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his written ministerial statement of 8 September 2003, Official Report, columns 23WS, on Iraq, what funds have been set aside to cover the costs of the additional British troops to be sent to Iraq.

Geoff Hoon: The Chancellor of the Exchequer has set aside 3 billion to a special reserve for the cost of military operations in Iraq. The Ministry of Defence drew down 1 billion of this reserve at Spring Supplementary Estimates 200203.
	It is too early to estimate the costs likely to arise in 200304. Once these are known, additional funding, if required, will be sought by MOD in the normal way through Supplementary Estimates.

Iraq

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether all sites in Iraq where cluster munitions were deployed by the coalition have been identified.

Adam Ingram: Those areas where it is known Coalition Forces dropped explosive ordnance including cluster bombs, have been noted and work is currently underway to inspect and mark these areas in order to confirm the presence of unexploded ordnance. This work is being carried out by United Kingdom and Coalition Armed Forces and Non-Governmental Organisations. In areas outside the UK Area of Operation, it is for the Coalition Partners concerned to comment on their progress.

Iraq

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the degree of success achieved in integrating tri-service United Kingdom personnel into the United States Army V Corps Headquarters staff at Headquarters, Combined Joint Task Force, in Baghdad.

Adam Ingram: Following its involvement in the recent successful combat operations in Iraq, Headquarters V (US) Corps assumed the role of Headquarters Combined Task Force 7 (HQ CTF 7).
	The Headquarters commands a multinational organisation of some 30 nations. It ensures that the Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF7) provides the military support required by the Administrator and the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). CJTF7 is commanded by an American three star officer. He has two deputies, one of whom is a UK two star officer (who also acts as the senior British military representative in Iraq). UK military staffs have been embedded in the HQ since May and now fill some 30 posts. We judge that the integration of tri-service United Kingdom personnel in the Headquarters, has gone very well.

Iraq

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) five most used weapons and (b) five most expensive weapons used in the Iraq conflict were; what the unit value of each of these weapons was; how many of each of these weapons were used; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The five most common weapons deployed by UK forces during Operation TELIC were:
	SA80 A2 rifle and variants;
	Browning 9mm pistol;
	General Purpose Machine Gun;
	L2A2 hand grenade;
	LAW 94 Light Anti-armour Weapon.
	Calculating the unit costs of weapons used during the Coalition's military action will take some time since they will include the costs of weapons consumed in excess of peacetime levels and the cost of repairing and replacing weapons and ordnance that was destroyed or damaged. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as the work is complete.

Iraq

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many leaflets have been distributed by UK forces in Iraq giving information about the dangers of unexploded ordnance since the conflict began.

Adam Ingram: Providing a safe, secure and risk free environment for the Iraqi people is a key aspect of restoration activity for the Coalition. The United Kingdom has made a significant effort to educate the local population in its area of operations about the dangers of mines and unexploded ordnance. To date, over 4,000 leaflets containing information about the dangers of unexploded ordnance have been distributed in theatre by UK troops. Those troops involved in explosive ordnance disposal continue to distribute leaflets.

Iraq

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 1 September 2003, Official Report, column 901W, on warehouse looting in Basra, whether UK forces will increase their patrols as a result.

Adam Ingram: United Kingdom forces currently have 12 personnel from 1st Battalion The Kings Regiment based at the warehouse in Basra. Their role is primarily administrative but also to support and oversee the local Iraqi security guards who are directly responsible for the security of the warehouse.
	The physical security of the warehouse has been improved, with perimeter fences being secured and better lighting installed, and the guards have successfully apprehended a number of would be looters. UK forces continue to conduct routine patrols in the area of the warehouse. Commanders on the groundwho are best placed to judgedo not currently judge that there is a need to increase the frequency of these patrols.

Armoured Vehicles

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the value to the Ministry of Defence is of the planned sales of armoured land rovers; how many have been sold in the past two years; and how many are up for sale.

Adam Ingram: The financial returns to the Ministry of Defence for the planned sale of armoured land rovers is very much dependent on the vehicles' condition and the requirements of the market and therefore cannot be accurately determined. However, the average return to the MOD for each of those vehicles already sold is approximately 1,500, following completion of removal of armour and repair/making good of any damage resulting from the removal process. To date some 26 vehicles have been sold in the past two years and eight scrapped due to poor condition. There remain 82 vehicles that could be sold.

Armoured Vehicles

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the procurement process for the (a) TRACER and (b) MRAV armoured vehicle programmes.

Adam Ingram: Both the Tactical Reconnaissance Armoured Combat Equipment (TRACER) and Multi Role Armoured Vehicle (MRAV) programmes were subject to our normal procurement processes, which are kept under regular review.
	The joint United Kingdom/United States decision to terminate the collaborative TRACER programme came at the end of its Assessment Phase and took account both of an emerging, wider requirement for deployable, rapid effect forces, and the potential cost of the TRACER solution. I am satisfied, therefore, that this phase of the procurement process fulfilled its purpose, namely to take account of such factors before deciding whether to commit to a major investment decision.
	On MRAV, I refer the hon. Member to the statement I made on 17 July 2003, Official Report, column 71WS, about the UK's decision to withdraw from this tri-national programme, which is managed by the Organisation for Joint Armaments Cooperation (OCCAR) on behalf of the UK, Germany and the Netherlands. Officials intend to conduct a 'Post Project Evaluation' study once the United Kingdom has completed its withdrawal from the programme.

Arms Exports

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on Britain's arms dealings with Israel.

Adam Ingram: Export licence applications for items to be exported to Israel are assessed by the DTI on a case-by-case basis against the consolidated European Union and national arms export licensing criteria in the light of the circumstances prevailing at the time.
	The Government's procurement policy is laid out in the Defence Industrial Policy reference OP DEF 2002/1, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.

Arms Exports

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent by his Department in each year since 199798 on promoting British military equipment and arms sales to foreign customers.

Adam Ingram: The Defence Export Services Organisation (DESO) of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) plays a fundamental role in implementing the Government's policy of supporting legitimate United Kingdom defence exports.
	Operating costs for DESO in each year since financial year 199798 are as follows.
	
		 million
		
			 Financial year Expenditure Receipts Net operating costs 
		
		
			 199899 45.359 -29.342 16.017 
			 19992000 46.473 -34.977 11.496 
			 200001 55.81 -41.430 14.380 
			 200102 48.930 -37.853 11.077 
			 200203 56.944 -44.407 12.537 
		
	
	Main sources of offsetting income for DESO are three Government to Government project offices, where the customer country pays MOD costs, and the Disposal Services Agency where costs are met from revenue.
	DESO raises other sources of income from charging industry for activities undertaken on their behalf where Government independence from industry is not essential and when costs can be directly identified calculated and recovered from individual companies.
	Savings to the defence budget come from spreading the fixed overhead cost of equipment over the longer production runs generated by exports, from the sale of surplus military equipment to overseas governments and from Commercial Exploitation Levy receipts on exports of equipment developed using public money.

Bat Colony (RAF Halton)

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the progress so far and expected timetable of measures to investigate and manage the bat colony at the Princess Mary Hospital site, RAF Halton.

Ivor Caplin: Following the completion of the bat survey on the Princess Mary Hospital site in July this year, and at the request of English Nature, Defence Estates has commissioned WSP Environmental (licensed bat ecologists) to undertake evening emergent and dawn swarming surveys to establish the population size of each roost. These surveys will be completed by the middle of September.
	Based on the results of these surveys, WSP Environmental will prepare a mitigation strategy that will outline the measures to be put in place to ensure the protection of the bats. This mitigation strategy will be submitted in draft to English Nature and Aylesbury Vale District Council on the 19 September and subject to their agreement will be incorporated into the Environmental Statement which will be submitted with the outline planning application for the Princess Mary Hospital site at the end of the September.
	Application for the DEFRA licence, implementation of the mitigation measures and the management of the bat roosts will be the responsibility of the eventual purchaser of the site.

Bosnia

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the timescale for EU forces taking over the SFOR mission in Bosnia.

Adam Ingram: No decisions have yet been taken on an end date for the SFOR operation, or on the arrangements for any follow-on missions.

Commonwealth Service Personnel

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what surveys of (a) Commonwealth families and (b) Fijian families have been carried out to ascertain their views on life in the armed forces away from their homes; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: The Army carried out an informal survey of Foreign and Commonwealth soldiers and their families in 2002. No other surveys have been conducted by any of the Services specifically targeting Commonwealth or Fijian families. The data revealed no large variants between different ethnic groups, and Foreign and Commonwealth soldiers have generally the same level of occurrences on most issues, although there is a slightly higher level of cases on welfare and immigration. The Adjutant General's staff are now taking forward recommendations arising from the survey.
	Each Service, however, conducts Continuous Attitude Surveys of serving personnel to measure the morale and understand the concerns of their people.
	The questions cover a wide variety of subjects, including families, welfare and quality of life. The surveys are sent to a randomly selected sample, which may therefore include Commonwealth or Fijians, but they are not specifically targeted.

Commonwealth Service Personnel

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to provide (a) discounted telephone calls and (b) discounted air fares to Commonwealth servicemen and women and their families for communication with their friends and family in their country of origin; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: There are currently no plans to provide discounted air fares or discounted telephone calls for personnel from Commonwealth countries, whose Terms and Conditions of Service (TACOS) are the same as for all other personnel. However, under the Leave to Countries Abroad (DOMCOL) scheme, a Service individual normally domiciled abroad may accumulate part of their Annual Leave Allowance each year over a period not exceeding five years for the purpose of visiting the country of their domicile. Under the scheme, which is subject to specific qualifying conditions, personnel are entitled to travel at public expense once in five years after five years service to the country of normal domicile. Requirements for the DOMCOL scheme include that the individual be single, but married personnel whose family are resident abroad and have been separated from their family for the whole of the five-year qualifying period may also register under the scheme.
	The Ministry of Defence is aware that current TACOS vary between the Services and consequently do not offer all Commonwealth personnel the same opportunities for compassionate leave and travel arrangements as for those ordinarily domiciled in the United Kingdom, and is reviewing TACOS accordingly.
	For those personnel on deployed operations the Operational Welfare Package (OWP) provides 20 minutes of publicly funded telephone calls per week for all personnel, regardless of nationality or country of origin and allows them to maintain telephone contact with their families and friends overseas.

Continuous Attitude Surveys

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  when he expects the next continuous attitude surveys in each service will be (a) conducted and (b) published; in what format the report of the surveys will be published; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what plans he has to publish the armed forces continuous attitude surveys; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: The next Continuous Attitude Survey (CAS) for the Royal Navy will be issued at the end of September with a report expected at the end of December 2003. For the Army the next survey is scheduled to be sent out in December with a report due in the spring. For the RAF the next survey will be issued on 1 November with the results reported later next year. The RAF report with the 2002 results will however be produced on 1 November. All three reports are produced electronically and distributed to internal stakeholders.
	Copies of the questions asked in each of the CASs are held in the Library of the House. There are no immediate plans to publish the answers. We are however reviewing the range of survey material to release and appropriate ways of putting it into the public domain.

Daedalus Site

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department is proposing to make further use itself of the Daedalus site at Lee-on-the-Solent.

Ivor Caplin: The Ministry of Defence continues to assess the scope for estate rationalisation across the whole of mainland Great Britain. Areas such as Portsmouth, Gosport, and Fareham currently accommodating a high incidence of MOD activity are a particular focus for this work.
	The Daedalus site may present an opportunity to facilitate rationalisation within these areas or elsewhere. No specific recommendations, for the Daedalus main site, have yet been made and it will be some time before the necessary studies have been conducted and completed.

Defence Diversification Agency

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on progress towards creating a Defence Diversification Agency.

Adam Ingram: The Defence Diversification Agency (DDA) was created in 1999 as part of the then Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA). In July 2001 the DDA became part of the Ministry of Defence head office when QinetiQ plc and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratories were created out of DERA.
	Over the four years it has been operating the DDA has made very good progress. It has assisted over 2,000 firms with access to MOD's knowledge bases and facilitated more than 400 contracts to transfer defence technology and know how into the civil sector. DDA has also arranged for more than 40 commercial technology offerings to be made to MOD programmes, which has resulted in some 20 contracts to date.

Defence Equipment Exhibition

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what subsidy is provided by his Department to the Defence Systems and Equipment International Exhibition held in London in September 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 20 May 2003, Official Report, columns 67778W) which gave an estimate of the direct cost to the Ministry of Defence of DSEI 2003. The final cost of the exhibition remains to be established.

Departmental Finance

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library copies of (a) operating cost statements, (b) statements of recognised gains and losses, (c) cash flow statements and (d) the fixed asset register maintained by his Department's management groupings since the financial year 19992000.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Departmental Finance

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what financial information is maintained by his Department's management groupings.

Adam Ingram: A management grouping is the lowest level at which a complete set of financial ledgers is kept. The Department's management grouping holds all the accounting information necessary to prepare the management grouping resource accounts. It also provides the relevant accounting information to the Top Level Budget (TLB) holder to enable the TEB to prepare its resource account submissions for the publication of the overall departmental resource accounts.

Departmental Relocation

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the possible benefits of moving his Department out of London; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: The Department's estate strategy was set out in 'In Trust and On Trust', published in 2000. The aim is to create a defence estate of the right size, shape and location through corporate management of the estate. The implementation of this strategy has informed our active engagement in the Independent Review on Public Sector Relocationthe Lyons Reviewand will continue to do so.
	In recent years the Department has relocated a significant amount of defence activity from London. The reviews and evaluations that inform these decisions have generally been undertaken internally, rather than commissioned from external consultants. We evaluated the relocations of the Defence Procurement Agency, and the Meteorological Office as part of our submission to the Lyons Review, which generally welcomed the actions taken by the Ministry of Defence.

Depleted Uranium

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 8 July 2003, Official Report, column 701W, on depleted uranium, what agreement was reached with the United States about use of depleted uranium munitions.

Ivor Caplin: Decisions on the release of information on the use of depleted uranium (DU) munitions by United States Forces during the recent conflict in Iraq are a matter for the US Department of Defence. There are currently no plans to produce a combined report of DU firings by United Kingdom and US Forces.

Electromagnetic Guns

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what assessment has been made of the effects on the environment of the US electromagnetic gun tests at Dundrennan;
	(2)  when the trials of the new US electromagnetic gun at Dundrennan are expected to conclude;
	(3)  whether a review is planned of the safety procedures involved in the US electromagnetic gun trials at Dundrennan;
	(4)  what representations have been received from the local community on the dangers involved in the trials of the US electromagnetic gun at Dundrennan.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence and the United States Army have been working together on a collaborative research programme into the Electro-Magnetic gun at Dundrennan range, in Kirkcudbright, since 1993. In December 2002, we jointly signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the US to continue this long-standing project agreement until 2009.
	Extensive tests have proven that the electro-magnetic radiation from the gun is negligible and that it has no effect on the environment.
	The safe operation of defence ranges is of paramount importance. Safety procedures at Dundrennan have been tried and tested over the last 10 years without incident. Risk assessments are conducted prior to each series of firings and strict operating procedures are followed. Safety procedures are constantly reviewed and updated in line with the progress of the trial, and all safety procedures are independently audited.
	We have received a limited number of representations from the local community regarding the possible dangers associated with the Electro-Magnetic gun testing at Dundrennan. The correspondence received specifically focuses on the perceived use of depleted uranium, but also reflects some general concerns, which have been generated by articles in the press. The Electro-Magnetic gun's projectiles do not contain depleted uranium, nor do they contain any explosives.
	The high velocity of the projectile round generates the penetrative effect, not the projectile's mass or density.

European Armaments Policy

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the contribution of a European armaments policy to the development of the European security and defence policy; and what contribution his Department has made to the plans of the European Commission to develop such a policy.

Adam Ingram: The Government are committed to playing a leading role in the development of European security and defence policy. Working with other European Union partners, we are actively engaged in the creation of an inter-Government Agency in the field of defence capabilities, development, research, and acquisition. The Agency, which will be capability focussed, will, inter alia, promote and enhance European armaments co-operation with the aim of contributing to the military equipment needs of member states in a cost effective and efficient manner. The Government's view of the Commission's initiative to develop European armaments related proposals are set out in the Explanatory Memorandum on European Community Document entitled: Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Social and Economic Committee of the Regions European DefenceIndustrial and Market Issues: Towards an EU Defence Equipment Policy Reference Number 8484/03 [COM (2003) 113 final] dated 15 May 2003, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House. The Government notes that armaments are primarily a matter for European Union member states with any contribution from the Commission being in support of national Governments' initiatives.

Ex-servicemen (Injury Claims)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the decision taken by the War Pensions Agency to redefine the acceptance procedure for ex-service people who make claims for injuries from reasonable doubt to balance of probability.

Ivor Caplin: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 17 September 2003, Official Report, column 753W.

Falkland Islands

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on Britain's military commitment to the Falkland Islands.

Adam Ingram: We are fully committed to ensuring the sovereignty and security of the Falkland Islands.

Food Expenditure

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent on food by his Department and by each agency for which it is responsible in (a) 200102 and (b) 200203; what proportion of that food by value was produced in the United Kingdom; what guidance he has issued to encourage the procurement of home-grown food; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: In 200102 the total amount spent on food by the MoD was 114.8 million and in 200203 it was 115.7 million. Of these totals, 61 per cent. was spent on products of UK origin; however, 25 per cent. of the food goods purchased by the MoD are not produced or grown in UK.
	The MoD's main food supply contractor, 3663, is mandated to give due consideration to British products during the tendering process and to procure them whenever they are competitive.

Future Rapid Effects System

David Clelland: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  when the British Army will have its initial operating capability with the Future Rapid Effects System;
	(2)  for what reason funding for the Future Rapid Effects System Assessment Phase Planning work has ceased; what the expenditure on this work has been to date; and how the results of this work will be used in the Future Rapid Effects System programme;
	(3)  what the next phase of the Future Rapid Effect System project will be; what assessment he has made of the advantages of the next phase being led by (a) Alvis Vickers Ltd. and (b) a company other than Alvis Vickers Ltd.; and how long he expects it would take to select a contractor other than Alvis Vickers Ltd. through competitive tender;
	(4)  what the size was of the co-located industrial Future Rapid Effect System team made up of personnel from Alvis Vickers, BAE Systems and General Dynamics UK in July; and what assessment he has made of the effect on British industry if the next phase of FRES were to be awarded to (a) Alvis Vickers and (b) a company other than Alvis Vickers.

Adam Ingram: The project to introduce a Future Rapid Effect System is currently in its concept phase. As part of this, Alvis Vickers Ltd. (AVL) has recently completed background planning work to develop initial estimates of programme schedule and cost. This work involved some 70 staff drawn from AVL, BAE Systems and General Dynamics (UK) Ltd. and was valued at approximately 4 million. The Department is now considering procurement options and will consider all relevant factors in determining the way forward. The ISD for FRES will not be endorsed until the main investment decision, but on current plans, the intention is to introduce early variants into service around the end of the decade.

Future Rapid Effects System

David Clelland: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to award a contract for the demonstration and manufacture phase of the Future Rapid Effect System.

Adam Ingram: The project to introduce a Future Rapid Effect System is currently in its Concept phase. The Department is now considering procurement options but no date has yet been fixed for the award of contracts for future phases.

Future Rapid Effects System

David Clelland: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average age is of the British Army fleets of (a) the 430-Series vehicles, (b) CVR(T) and (c) Saxon; and when these vehicles will be replaced by the Future Rapid Effect System.

Adam Ingram: The average age of the British Army fleet for the FV430, CVR(T) and Saxon Light Armoured Vehicles is detailed in the table:
	
		
			 Vehicle Average age (years) 
		
		
			 FV430 series 38 
			 CVR(T) 31 
			 Saxon 14 
		
	
	An endorsed in-service date for the Future Rapid Effect System (FRES), and the numbers and types of vehicles to be procured as part of the FRES programme, will not be determined until the assessment phase of the programme has been completed. We are therefore currently unable to confirm which in-service vehicles will be replaced by FRES vehicles or when that might occur.

Future Rapid Effects System

Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  when and why his Department stopped funding work on FRES Assessment Phase Planning; how much had already been spent on the work; and how it can be used in the further development of the FRES project;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the overall value of the FRES contract when it is let; how many jobs it can be expected to sustain or generate; and how many jobs would be lost in the UK if the contract were to be awarded overseas.

Adam Ingram: The project to introduce a Future Rapid Effect System is currently in its concept phase. Acquisition costs are yet to be established but could be in the region of 6 billion.
	Industry has undertaken some background planning work, under an Assessment Phase Planning contract valued at approximately 4 million, to develop initial estimates of programme schedule and cost. This work is now complete. The Department is considering procurement options and will have regard to all relevant factors, including industrial issues, in determining the way forward.

Future Rapid Effects System

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what assessment has been made of the Future Rapid Effects System project in relation to (a) security of supply, (b) export potential and (c) industrial capabilities;
	(2)  how much has been spent on the Future Rapid Effects System;
	(3)  whether overseas companies will be invited to bid for a lead role in the Future Rapid Effects System project;
	(4)  whether there has been a change in the projected in-service date of the Future Rapid Effects System;
	(5)  what estimate has been made of the number of United Kingdom jobs that will be (a) created and (b) secured by the Future Rapid Effects System project.

Adam Ingram: The total value of work done to date in support of concept and planning work on a Future Rapid Effects System (FRES) is approximately 7 million; this includes 4 million for Assessment Phase Planning work carried out by Alvis Vickers Ltd. to develop initial estimates of programme schedule and cost. The Department is now considering procurement options. No decision has yet been reached with regard to commercial arrangements for future phases. All relevant factors will be taken into account in determining the way forward. The ISD for FRES will not be endorsed until the main investment decision, but on current plans, the intention is to introduce early variants into service around the end of the decade.

Future Rapid Effects System

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  when he expects a decision to be made on the awarding of the contract for the Future Rapid Effect System;
	(2)  whether he intends to have the assessment phase of the Future Rapid Effect System conducted by an independent body.

Adam Ingram: The Future Rapid Effect System project is in the Concept Phase. We are currently reviewing procurement options and no decision has yet been made on how to take the programme forward. An announcement on the way ahead will be made later in the year.

Future Rapid Effects System

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made with the Future Rapid Effects System; what armoured vehicles will be produced; what roles they will fulfil; and whether the in-service date has changed.

Adam Ingram: The project to introduce a Future Rapid Effect System is currently in its concept phase. As part of this phase the Department has been undertaking background planning work in order to inform decisions on how to take the programme forward. The Department is now considering procurement options.
	Studies planned for the next phase of the programme will determine the make up of the FRES fleet. Only when these studies have been completed will we know what armoured vehicles will be produced and what role they will fulfil in the rapid intervention force.
	The ISD for FRES will not be endorsed until the main investment decision, but on current plans, the intention is to introduce early variants into service around the end of the decade.

Gurkhas

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of the total Ghurkha forces in the years 1997 to 2003, leaving the armed forces before 15 years maximum service, (a) left voluntarily, (b) were made redundant, (c) had their employment terminated for other operational reasons, (d) were invalided out and (e) left for other reasons.

Ivor Caplin: All data in the tables are taken from the soldiers' Record of Service.
	Data given are for Ghurkha other ranks only as there are no officers that fall into the categories described in the question.
	
		Number of Ghurkha soldiers who left the service with less than 15 years service(47)
		
			 Reason 199798 199899 19992000 200001 200102 200203 
		
		
			 Left voluntarily 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Redundant 140 * 0 0 0 0 
			 Discipline/misconduct * * * 0 0 0 
			 Invalided * * 0 0 0 0 
			 Completed service 20 10 20 * * 0 
			 Death * * * 0 * * 
		
	
	(47) Note that all numbers in the data table are rounded to the nearest 10, numbers less than five are represented with a * to preserve confidentiality.
	
		Percentage of Ghurkha soldiers who left the service with less than 15 years service
		
			 Reason 199798 199899 19992000 200001 200102 200203 
		
		
			 Left voluntarily 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 Redundant 4.2 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 Discipline/misconduct 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 Invalided 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 Completed Service 0.5 0.2 0.7 0.1 0.1 0.0 
			 Death 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 
		
	
	The 140 personnel shown as redundant in the years 199798 reflect the drawdown of the Brigade of Ghurkhas at the time of the handover of Hong Kong in 1997. The Army Personnel Centre have confirmed that they are all in receipt of a service pension.
	Of the 50 shown as having completed service before 15 years in years 199798, 199899 and 19992000, inquiries through the Army Personnel Centre have revealed several individuals were actually made redundant and are therefore in receipt of a pension as a result of the drawdown. Virtually all of the remaining individuals are in receipt of a pension either because they received condonation of service to increase their reckonable service to 15 years or are in receipt of other types of pension as appropriate (Liberalised Family Pension or Ordinary Family Pension).

Hercules

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to buy back some of the C-130K Hercules aircraft sold to Lockheed Martin for onward sale.

Adam Ingram: As part of the agreement signed in March 1995 to acquire C-130J aircraft, 24 C-130K Hercules aircraft were returned to Lockheed Martin Aero between November 2000 and July 2002 in part exchange. There are no plans for the Department to re-acquire any of these.

ITAR Waiver

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what effects the EU proposals on the (a) harmonisation of European rules on procurement, (b) the simplified licence system to facilitate the circulation of components and defence equipment between EU countries and (c) the co-ordination of European research and development in defence industries will have on (i) UK defence industrial relations with the US and (ii) the proposed ITAR waiver.

Adam Ingram: In all of these considerations our overriding aim is to maintain effective relations on both sides of the Atlantic. At the same time, based on the Government's open and transparent defence industrial policy, we will continue to press for increased market access for United Kingdom defence companies in both the United States and Europe.

ITAR Waiver

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what effects developments in the US Congress and Buy American proposals are having on the UK's negotiations with the US Government to secure an ITAR waiver.

Adam Ingram: The Government continues to do all it can to support the United States Administration in its scrutiny of the waiver for the United Kingdom from the US International Traffic in Arms Regulations. An amendment to the State Department Authorizations Bill, to support a waiver for the UK, is to be discussed in the autumn in Conference between the Senate and House of Representatives. It goes without saying that the Government would very much regret any attempt by Congress to impose damaging restrictions on the ability of UK companies to access the US defence market, which could only be detrimental to our mutual interests.

ITAR Waiver

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects negotiations with the US Government on an ITAR waiver for the UK to be concluded.

Adam Ingram: Negotiations were completed with the US Administration in May 2003 on the text of an unclassified waiver for the UK from the US International Traffic in Arms Regulations.

Licences (EU Harmonisation)

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with European partners on the simplified licence system to facilitate the circulation of components and defence equipment between EU countries; and when he expects such a licence system to come into effect.

Nigel Griffiths: I have been asked to reply.
	There is already in place the Letter of Intent (LOI) arrangements that provide a simplified licensing system to facilitate the transfer of defence equipment for joint projects involving the LOI Partners that the UK supports. In addition, the European Commission in its Communication, Towards an EU Defence Equipment Policy (COM 2003 113 final of 11 March 2003), has proposed an impact analysis to establish the value of any Community-level legislative initiative to simplify intra-community transfers of defence-related goods. Work on this will start at the end of 2004.

Low Flying

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many low flying sorties by military jet aircraft of the (a) NATO air forces and (b) RAF were carried out last year within the UK flying system.

Ivor Caplin: The information is not held in the form requested. The amount of military low flying that takes place in the United Kingdom is expressed in hours rather than by number of sorties, which can vary significantly from minutes to several hours. A statement on the Pattern of Low Flying Across the UK is published annually, with copies placed in the Libraries of both Houses. The statement for the training year 200203 records that foreign-based aircraft were booked into the UK Low Flying System for some 174 hours (this figure covers all foreign aircraft with the exception of United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) aircraft which are based in the UK). The total amount of booked low flying by all military aircraft was some 47,058 hours.
	The statement for the training year 200203 records the amount of booked low flying in Low Flying Area 7 (an area that broadly equates to the land area of Wales, except for a small area of northeast Powys) was some 7,635 hours.

Low Flying

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many low flying military sorties were undertaken within Low Flying Area 7 of the UK low flying system in 2002.

Ivor Caplin: The information is not held in the form requested. The amount of military low flying that takes place in the United Kingdom is better expressed in hours rather than by number of sorties, which can vary significantly from minutes to several hours. On this basis, a statement on the Pattern of Low Flying Across the UK is published annually, with copies placed in the Libraries of both Houses. The statement for the training year 200203 records that the amount of booked low flying in Low Flying Area 7 (an area that broadly equates to the land area of Wales, except for a small area of northeast Powys) was approximately 7,635 hours.

Low Flying

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  in which military conflicts of the past decade low flying tactics have been used by the RAF;
	(2)  how many sorties have been flown by UK RAF pilots at a level of 100 ft during (a) military conflicts over the past six years and (b) the recent war in Iraq.

Ivor Caplin: Low flying tactics have been used in military conflicts in the Balkans, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan and Iraq. Although fast jet low flying has not been employed in all of these conflicts, I can confirm that a number of fast jet sorties were flown at low level during the recent operation in Iraq. The heights at which operational sorties are undertaken vary according to the assessed threat at the time. Details of the number of sorties and the heights at which they were flown are not held centrally.

Low Flying

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements govern the training of foreign nationals in low flying military exercises by the RAF.

Ivor Caplin: Low flying in the United Kingdom by non UK-based foreign air forces, whether in RAF-led exercises or any other training, is closely controlled and generally only permitted on a reciprocal basis. Foreign aircrew are bound by the same restrictions as those that apply to UK aircrew, but additionally are not generally permitted to operate under more favourable conditions than those applied to our forces in the country concerned. All foreign aircrew receive a face to face brief from an appropriately qualified member of British forces before they can operate in the UK Low Flying System.

Low Flying

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what percentage of low flying military aircraft exercises conducted in the United Kingdom in each of the past 10 years were undertaken by foreign nationals;
	(2)  how many foreign pilots have been involved in low flying military training exercises in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) Wales in each of the last 10 years.

Ivor Caplin: Low flying military exercises are not generally conducted by foreign air forces alone. The number of pilots involved in low flying is not recorded centrally. The amount of low flying by foreign military aircraft is typically less than 1 per cent. of all the low flying training that takes place in the United Kingdom.

Low Flying

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many accidents involving low flying military aircraft in the United Kingdom have been reported in each of the past 10 years.

Ivor Caplin: The number of accidents recorded to aircraft in the United Kingdom Low Flying System in the last 10 training years is:
	
		
			 April to March Accidents 
		
		
			 199495 3 
			 199596 3 
			 199697 0 
			 199798 1 
			 199899 2 
			 19992000 5 
			 200001 3 
			 200102 0 
			 200203 2 
			 April 2003Present 2

Low Flying

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints his Department received with regard to military low flying aircraft in each parliamentary constituency in each of the last 10 years.

Ivor Caplin: The information is not held in the form requested. The number of individual complaints recorded for each county (based on the information supplied by the complainants) over the last three years is given in the following table. Detailed records are only retained for a three-year period.
	
		
			  Complaints per training year 
			 County 200001 200102 200203 
		
		
			 No county provided 11 13 11 
			 Aberdeenshire 46 48 45 
			 Angus 13 16 35 
			 Argyll and Bute 23 12 19 
			 Avon 26 20 17 
			 Ayrshire 14 14 7 
			 Bedfordshire 42 38 19 
			 Berkshire 31 39 62 
			 Berwickshire 27 22 15 
			 Borders 61 73 56 
			 Buckinghamshire 29 40 27 
			 Cambridgeshire 99 122 109 
			 Carmarthenshire 78 73 63 
			 Central 17 14 8 
			 Ceredigion 30 31 22 
			 Cheshire 15 25 22 
			 Cleveland 6 6 2 
			 Clwyd 16 14 22 
			 Cornwall 91 108 72 
			 Cumbria 138 165 218 
			 Denbighshire 2 3 1 
			 Derbyshire 13 20 18 
			 Devon 178 211 197 
			 Dorset 59 120 102 
			 Dumfries and Galloway 159 165 130 
			 Durham 9 15 26 
			 Dyfed 141 114 109 
			 East Sussex 33 33 29 
			 East Yorkshire 18 15 12 
			 Essex 56 63 78 
			 Fife 22 26 44 
			 Glamorgan 11 12 13 
			 Gloucestershire 96 120 102 
			 Grampian 16 12 42 
			 Greater Manchester 0 0 3 
			 Gwent 11 15 35 
			 Gwynedd 94 26 76 
			 Hampshire 249 243 225 
			 Hereford and Worcester 106 117 150 
			 Hertfordshire 18 15 22 
			 Highlands 124 86 131 
			 Humberside 27 15 16 
			 Isle of Man 0 1 1 
			 Isle of Wight 1 0 0 
			 Kent 61 63 59 
			 Lanarkshire 5 9 14 
			 Lancashire 28 17 107 
			 Leicestershire 22 15 28 
			 Lincolnshire 143 150 110 
			 London 15 13 18 
			 Lothian 59 47 57 
			 Manchester 1 1 0 
			 Merseyside 2 1 8 
			 Middlesex 1 3 6 
			 Monmouthshire 6 12 4 
			 Moray 10 14 14 
			 Norfolk 276 275 246 
			 North Yorkshire 168 143 171 
			 Northamptonshire 39 57 56 
			 Northumberland 119 60 85 
			 Nottinghamshire 36 53 33 
			 Orkney 13 14 18 
			 Oxfordshire 88 73 88 
			 Pembrokeshire 20 71 47 
			 Perthshire 21 29 48 
			 Powys 87 83 96 
			 Ross-Shire 16 25 51 
			 Rutland 1 1 0 
			 Shropshire 52 67 67 
			 Somerset 196 224 226 
			 South Yorkshire 22 9 13 
			 Staffordshire 33 31 31 
			 Strathclyde 48 24 41 
			 Suffolk 148 138 110 
			 Surrey 26 21 44 
			 Tayside 65 34 44 
			 Tyne and Wear 2 2 7 
			 Warwickshire 25 20 20 
			 West Midlands 4 0 2 
			 West Sussex 43 64 67 
			 West Yorkshire 14 31 14 
			 Western Isles 0 3 12 
			 Wiltshire 87 108 97 
			 Yorkshire 11 4 7 
			 Total 4,270 4,350 4,520

Low Flying

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of military low-flying services over the Welsh Military Tactical Training Area, this year was undertaken by foreign nationals.

Ivor Caplin: Foreign air forces are not permitted to operate in any of the three Tactical Training Areas including the one that exists over mid-Wales.

Low Flying

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many RAF low-flying sorties have been within three miles of (a) Kirkcudbright and (b) Gatehouse-of-Fleet in the last year.

Ivor Caplin: The hon. Member will be aware that Kirkcudbright and Gatehouse-of-Fleet lie within Low Flying Area (LFA) 16 and Tactical Training Area (TTA) 20T. In the last training year LFA 16 had a total of 3,535 hours of low flying activity booked of which 188 hours and 18 minutes were Operational Low Flying (OLF) activity which is carried out within the TTA boundary. These are the only figures available.

Manning Control Review

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers subject to Manning Control have made official complaints of harassment and bullying of them or their family during the MCP process in the last six years; and what steps are used to punish individuals who are proven to have bullied or harassed soldiers.

Ivor Caplin: The data requested are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Ministry of Defence has a policy of zero tolerance towards all forms of bullying and harassment. Appropriate disciplinary or administrative action will be taken against any individual(s) found guilty of practising or condoning such behaviour.

Military Equipment

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with European partners on interoperability of military equipment with that of the United States of America.

Adam Ingram: Regular discussions are held with our European partners on equipment capability issues. An important aspect is interoperability of equipment with Allies including the United States of America.

Ministry of Defence Police

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes there have been in procurement funding for the Ministry of Defence Police in the last five years.

Ivor Caplin: The bulk of the Ministry of Defence Police budget is taken up with the staff costs relating to pay and allowance. However, that part of the budget that is allocated to the procurement of capital items was, for the previous four years:
	
		
		
			  Capital investment 
		
		
			 199899 4,829,000 
			 19992000 2,649,000 
			 200001 1,851,000 
			 200102 1,746,000 
			 200203 1,460,000 
		
	
	A budget of 2.045 million has been set for the present year 200304.

Missile Defence

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to ensure that the activities undertaken at RAF Fylingdales are in the national interest of the United Kingdom.

Adam Ingram: RAF Fylingdales has operated as a ballistic missile early warning station for some 40 years, and provides an essential component of United Kingdom defences. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence told the House on 15 January 2003, Official Report, column 698, we are satisfied that the upgrade of the radar at RAF Fylingdales for missile defence purposes will also be in the national interest. The Ministry of Defence is negotiating an annex to the recently signed Ballistic Missile Defence Memorandum of Understanding with the United States to cover the upgrade, and is discussing with the US the operational arrangements for its use in missile defence. These agreements will ensure that UK interests are protected.

Missile Defence

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the silos at RAF Molesworth were last inspected under the terms of the INF Treaty 1987.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence on 28 February 2003, Official Report, column 739W.

Missile Defence

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the locations where he has permitted the X-band system to be based.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence to my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham Selly Oak (Dr. Jones) on 7 March 2003, Official Report, column 1257W. The position remains that the United States has not asked us to site an X-Band radar in the UK, nor are we aware of any plans to do so.

MOD Deployments

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the deployments of (a) Ministry of Defence Guard Service and (b) Ministry of Defence Police officers abroad.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence Police are currently deployed in Kosovo (67 officers), Pitcairn Island (two officers) arid Bosnia Herzegovina (two officers). In addition, there are currently two officers in Iraq assessing conditions and training requirements.
	Ministry of Defence Guard Service personnel are not deployed overseas.

Smuggling (Northern Ireland)

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the role of the armed forces in combating smuggling in Northern Ireland.

Adam Ingram: HM Customs and Excise have the lead responsibility for combating smuggling. Under long-standing arrangements the armed forces can provide support when requested by the civil power. In addition if, during the course of their normal duties, the armed forces discover instances of suspected smuggling this information is passed to the civilian authorities.

Parliamentary Questions

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will answer Question 120316, tabled by the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South on 18 June.

Ivor Caplin: I replied on 11 September 2003.

Pilot Training

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average monthly flying training time of trainee pilots in the RAF were in the last seven years.

Adam Ingram: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Trainee pilots in the Royal Air Force undertake a minimum of 62 hours Elementary Flying Training (EFT) during their first year, before being streamed for fast jet, rotary wing or multi-engine pilot training. Flying hours will then depend on which aircraft type their training has undertaken. For example, fast jet trainees normally undertake 130 hours Basic Fast Jet Training, 70 hours Advanced Flying Training and 52 hours Tactical Weapons Training following completion of EFT, over a further two-year period. All students undertake relevant ground school training prior to each flying phase.

Procurement (EU Harmonisation)

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with European partners on the harmonisation of European rules on procurement; and when he expects the harmonisation of European rules on procurement to be completed.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence has not had any direct discussions with European partners on harmonisation of European rules on procurement. It does, of course, contribute when invited to do so to the overall UK response to proposals for changes to the existing EC Public Procurement Regulations.

RAF Lyneham

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what studies he has commissioned into possible aerospace commercial use that could be made of RAF Lyneham.

Adam Ingram: A study was commissioned by the Royal Air Force into the potential for commercial development at RAF Lyneham, which reported in March 2002. This included investigation into the potential for both passenger and freight services. It revealed minimal potential for the site mainly due to the vicinity of other airports and the need for considerable investment for a likely minimal return.

Research and Development (EU Harmonisation)

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with European partners on the co-ordination of European research and development in defence industries and the effect of co-ordination on research and development projects involving the United States of America.

Adam Ingram: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Defence, has not held any recent discussions on the co-ordination of research and development in defence industries, nor has he any immediate plans to do so. However, officials have regular contact with their European and US counterparts.
	The Ministry of Defence collaborates on research with those nations who can significantly contribute to our capability requirements. Our aim is to generate technology that both United Kingdom and partner foreign industries can access. We seek to do this on both transatlantic and European axes.

RNAS Yeovilton

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on Lynx replacement at RNAS Yeovilton.

Adam Ingram: The Surface Combatant Maritime Rotorcraft, which is planned to fulfil the role currently undertaken by Lynx HMA Mk3 and Lynx HMA Mk8 based at RNAS Yeovilton, is provisionally planned to enter service later this decade. The project is presently in the assessment phase, in which the capability offered by the Westland Helicopters Ltd. Future Lynx proposal is being evaluated. The outcome of this assessment will result in a decision on the procurement of a replacement for Lynx early in 2004.

RNAS Yeovilton

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on site security at RNAS Yeovilton.

Adam Ingram: All aspects of security at RNAS Yeovilton are maintained and administered in accordance with the requirements of the current Joint Service Publication (JSP) 440The Defence Manual of Security. Security arrangements throughout the Royal Navy Estate, including RNAS Yeovilton, are subject to a programme of regular audit inspections by the Director of Naval Security's Integrated Contingency Planning Area Teams.

Sites of Special Scientific Interest

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the sites of special scientific interest in the ownership of his Department and its agencies.

Ivor Caplin: A list of sites will be placed in the Library of the House.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Abattoirs

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many approved abattoirs operated within England for each year from 1991.

Melanie Johnson: I have been asked to reply.
	Abattoirs producing meat for sale for human consumption must be licensed in order to operate. The number of licensed abattoirs in England from 1991 to date is shown in the table.
	
		
			 Year Red meat abattoirs White meat abattoirs 
		
		
			 1991 593 98 
			 1992 542 93 
			 1993 434 98 
			 1994 424 137 
			 1995 402 144 
			 1996 384 144 
			 1997 375 131 
			 1998 360 131 
			 1999 339 119 
			 2000 316 111 
			 2001 300 117 
			 2002 297 109 
			 August 2003 286 109

Abstractions

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what factors underlay the proposal of the Environment Agency to reduce the number of abstractions in the south east; what assessment she has made of the effect on water supplies in the south east as a result of this proposal; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: Proposals to reduce abstraction in the south east are aimed at improving the environment at important wildlife sites that are presently being damaged or are threatened with being damaged by abstraction.
	Water companies have been given the proposed list of sites and have been asked to identify the solutions that they would have to implement to make these environmental improvements.
	The Office of Water Services and the Environment Agency are scrutinising the companies' plans and I have asked them to report to me in November. From their reports I will identify the environmental improvement schemes that should be included in companies' final business plans for 200510, due in April 2004. Throughout this process, security of water supply to customers is paramount and the timing of any changes to abstraction will be arranged so that there is no risk to public water supply.

Aggregates Levy

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding has been paid to the sustainability fund in each region of the UK from the aggregates levy since the levy was introduced.

Elliot Morley: The following amounts have been allocated and spent under the Aggregate Levy Sustainability Fund:
	
		 million
		
			 Region of the UK Aggregate levy sustainability fund allocation Aggregate levy sustainability fund spend 
		
		
			 England 58.6 20 
			 Wales 3.4 2 
			 Scotland 6 2 
			 Northern Ireland 1.9 Figure unavailable 
		
	
	Note:
	The reason for the Northern Ireland spend figure being unavailable, is due to the fact that their fund was never ring fenced. Therefore there is uncertainty about the exact amount spent on the Fund.

Agricultural Assistance

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will estimate what percentage of agricultural assistance goes to (a) the largest and (b) the smallest 10 per cent. of farms in the United Kingdom.

Ben Bradshaw: Data from the Farm Business Survey have been used to assess the level of agricultural assistance going to farms of different sizes. The sample for the Farm Business Survey covers only those farm businesses that are over a minimum size threshold, representing around 70,000 out of a total of around 180,000 holdings in England. Within the sample there were 1,570 farm businesses in the survey in receipt of subsidy payments in 200102.
	Agricultural assistance has been defined as all crop and livestock subsidy payments and agri-environment scheme payments. Farm size is defined in European Size Units, an economic measure of farm size in terms of the value added to variable inputs. The analysis shows that around a third of these subsidy payments are received by the largest 10 per cent. of farms and around 2 per cent. is received by the smallest 10 per cent. of farms covered by the FBS in England. Estimates for the other UK countries are a matter for the Devolved Authorities.

Air Pollution

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the Government's policy to reduce air pollution by 2005.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government's policies on improving air quality are set out in detail in the Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, published in January 2000 and its Addendum published in February 2003. The Strategy sets standards for the pollutants of main concern and target dates for their achievement between 2003 and 2010. It also explains the measures that are in place to reduce emissions of harmful pollutants from all sectors. Copies are available via the Department's website at www.defra.gov.uk/environment/airquality.
	We are on course or have already met the targets for five of the nine pollutants in England, namely benzene, 1,3-butadiene, carbon monoxide, lead and sulphur dioxide. Significant progress has been made towards meeting the air quality objectives for nitrogen dioxide, particles, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and ozone. This is as a result of the measures that have been implemented to reduce emissions of these pollutants, and their precursors, particularly from road transport and industry.

Air Pollution

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the level of air pollution was in the UK in 2002; and what the levels were in other EU countries.

Ben Bradshaw: The Air Quality Headline Indicator for Sustainable development published on 8 May 2003 summarised UK air pollution in 2002. The statistical release is available at www.defra.gov.uk/news/2003/030508a.htm.
	In urban areas in 2002, air pollution was recorded as moderate or higher on 20 days on average per monitoring site, compared with 25 days in 2001, and 59 days in 1993. There has been a long term decline in the number of air pollution days, largely because of a reduction in particles and sulphur dioxide, but fluctuations from one year to the next can occur because of differences in weather conditions.
	In rural areas, the figure for 2002 was 30 days on average per site, compared with 34 in 2001. The number of days has fluctuated between 21 days in 1987 and 50 days in 1990. The series can be volatile from one year to the next, and there is no clear trend. This reflects the variability in levels of ozone, the main cause of pollution in rural areas.
	Comprehensive information on all UK air quality monitoring data is available on the Air Quality Archive at www.airquality.co.uk.
	The European Environment Agency (EEA) collates and publishes air pollution information for all European Union member states. Its AirBase database is at http://etc-acc.eionet.eu.int/databases/airbase.html. Air pollution data for 2002 are not yet available.
	The EEA's report Europe's Environment, the third assessment report, published in May 2003, includes a summary of air pollution trends in Europe from1990 to 2000. The report is at http://reports.eea.eu.int/environmental assessment report 2003 10/en

Air Pollution

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on levels of air pollution in Romford, in each year since 1997.

Ben Bradshaw: Defra does not conduct any air quality monitoring in Romford. The levels have been assessed using air quality information for the closest three national automatic monitoring stations at Thurrock, Southend-on-Sea and London Bexley. These sites are generally representative of public exposure. The sites monitor nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and ozone. The number of days of (a) moderate, (b) high and (c) very high air pollution recorded in each year since 1997 are given in the table. The levels of particulate matter and ozone are the main drivers for the number of days of moderate and above air pollution.
	
		
			  Number of days 
			  Moderate High Very high Total 
		
		
			 1997 53 9 1 63 
			 1998 33 1 0 34 
			 1999 60 4 0 64 
			 2000 36 0 0 36 
			 2001 57 1 2 60 
			 2002 47 5 1 53

Animal Welfare

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make it her policy to seek amendments to draft EU legislation on the welfare of livestock during travel to allow the United Kingdom to continue its effective ban on the export for food of horses, ponies and donkeys.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 11 September 2003
	I am currently considering the best way to protect British ponies in the light of domestic and European Legislation.

Asbestos

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been spent by her Department and its agencies on (a) asbestos surveys and (b) the management and removal of asbestos since 1 January 2001; and what budget is available to (i) commission asbestos surveys and (ii) manage and remove asbestos from buildings in (A) 2003 and (B) 2004.

Alun Michael: Defra expenditure on asbestos related works within its own buildings and agencies has been as follows:
	
		(a) Surveys
		
			   
		
		
			  
			  
			 200102 Minimal 
			 200203 242,000 
			 200304 (48)200,000 
		
	
	(48) Is a 'best estimate' based on current commitments.
	
		(b) Management and removal
		
			   
		
		
			  
			  
			 200102 Minimal 
			 200203 420,345 
			 200304 (49)260,000 
		
	
	(49) Is a 'best estimate' based on current commitments.
	No budget for 200405 has been approved at the present time.

CAP Reform

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what further proposals she has to reform the Common Agricultural Policy.

Ben Bradshaw: On 26 June EU Agriculture Ministers agreed a radical reform of most elements of the Common Agricultural Policy. The UK Government is pressing for similar radical reform of the remaining sectors, which include the sugar, olive oil, cotton and tobacco regimes and we are pleased that the European Commission intends to bring forward proposals in the next few months.
	We are consulting on how we should implement the reforms already agreed so that we can introduce the new scheme from 1 January 2005, the earliest date permitted.

Carbon Trust

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) debt equity deals and (b) interest free energy action loans the Carbon Trust has approved since it was established.

Elliot Morley: I understand that the Carbon Trust has received 84 proposals for equity investment. Of these, 31 are in progress, and three investments have been made totalling 1.7 million (leveraging in a further 16 million).
	The Carbon Trust are also seeking opportunities to support embryonic low carbon technology companies through both the offer of incubator services and through the future creation of incubator funds.
	The Carbon Trust's loan scheme has approved over 1 million worth of loans to SMEs since it started in January 2003. The Trust currently receive over 60 inquiries per month. On September 1 there were 149 applications under consideration, 32 formal offers had been made and 15 loans had been paid with a total value of 440,000.

Community Composting

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on community composting; and what plans she has to expand its take-up.

Elliot Morley: The Government recognise the valuable role that community composting groups can play in delivering more sustainable waste management.
	We are taking various measures (that do not relate to community groups alone) to increase the amount of waste that is composted. For example, we have set targets to increase the level of recycling and composting of household waste to 17 per cent. by 200304 and 25 per cent. by 200506. We are primarily looking to local authorities, as the statutory waste collection and disposal authorities, to deliver these targets. Some authorities are working with community groups to do this and the Government encourage this partnership-working.
	We are also supporting the Composting Association with a grant of 272,000 over three years to raise awareness and increase the understanding of composting and uses of composts.
	In addition, funding of 35.2 million is available until September 2006 specifically for community waste schemes in England under the New Opportunities Fund's Community Recycling and Economic Development Programme.

Community Composting

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research projects are being supported by her Department in the area of community composting; and what discussions she has had with representatives of the waste industry on the subject of community composting.

Elliot Morley: I am not aware of any research projects currently being funded by Defra specifically concerning community composting. However, Defra does fund some community composting projects through the Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund. Under the category of community initiatives, the fund is supporting two projects with composting elements.
	Defra is also providing funds of 12.2 million over the next three years to the Waste and Resource Action Programme to stimulate markets for composted products. A proportion of these funds will be used for research projects, some of which may be of relevance to community composting groups.
	The Government hold regular discussions on a number of topics with representatives of the waste industry.

Consultancy Contracts

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many consultancies were commissioned by her Department in the last two years for which figures are available; and what the cost of those contracts was.

Alun Michael: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Costs

Howard Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost was to her Department for (a) ministerial cars and drivers, (b) taxis, (c) train travel, (d) the use of helicopters, (e) airline tickets and (f) chartered aeroplanes in each year since 1997.

Margaret Beckett: With regard to the costs for ministerial cars and drivers, I refer to the answer given by the Cabinet Office and the letter from the Chief Executive of the Government Car and Despatch Agency to the hon. Gentleman, dated 17 September 2003.
	The costs to the Department for taxis, train travel and airline tickets, use of helicopters and chartered planes since 8 June 2001, when Defra was formed, are as follows:
	
		
			 Year end 31 March Train travel () Public transport travel () 
		
		
			 200102 (part year) 1,487,983 636,681 
			 200203 1,631,848 620,267 
			 200304 (to 31 July) 688,191 201,403 
		
	
	The figures for 200102 and 200203 include travel expenses incurred as a result of foot and mouth disease.
	All the figures for 'Travel by Public Transport' includes the use of helicopters, chartered planes, airline tickets, taxis, bus, underground and pedal cycle expenses, and can be broken down further only at disproportionate cost.

End of Life Vehicles Directive

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the costs to local authorities of implementing (a) the End of Life Vehicles Directive and (b) the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive.

Margaret Beckett: (a) The ELV Directive contains no provision which applies directly to local authorities. However, under the New Burdens arrangements, DTI have transferred to local authorities 25 million for 200304 to meet any additional costs they may incur in relation to abandoned vehicles as a result of the directive's implementation. It is proposed to transfer similar sums in respect of financial years 200405 and 200506.
	(b) The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive does not place direct responsibilities on local authorities for the collection and disposal of WEEE, but on producers and distributors. Future implementation options will take full account of the costs for all stakeholders and will be subject to full consultation.

Energy Efficiency

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to enforce greater energy saving practices in homes; and what timescale has been drawn up for homes to improve their energy saving practices.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 18 September 2003
	The Energy White Paper details the steps being taken to encourage greater energy efficiency in the UK, and sets out an ambitious strategy for energy efficiency up to 2010 and beyond. Energy efficiency is expected to deliver about half the carbon savings needed to meet our goals for 2020. This will mean roughly doubling the rate of energy efficiency improvement of recent decades.
	Households account for around 5MtC of the expected savings by 2010. The Energy White Paper sets out measures which have the potential to deliver 3.5MtC by 2010, in addition to the savings of 1.5MtC from measures already in place. It is estimated that by 2020, a further 46MtC of annual savings can be realised in the household sector.
	Key measures proposed in the White Paper that would provide a statutory basis for improvements in energy efficiency in households include extension of the Energy Efficiency Commitment beyond 2005 at possibly twice its current level of activity; improvements in building standards through revisions to the Building Regulations, which we aim to bring into effect in 2005; and faster improvements in the standards of new household appliances.
	The Government intend to publish an Energy Efficiency Implementation Plan within a year of the White Paper's publication, which will provide further detail on all of these policies.

Energy Efficiency

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps are being taken to increase the UK's energy efficiency.

Ben Bradshaw: The Energy White Paper details the steps being taken to encourage greater energy efficiency in the UK, and sets out an ambitious strategy for energy efficiency up to 2010 and beyond. Energy efficiency is expected to deliver about half the carbon savings needed to meet our goals for 2020. This will mean roughly doubling the rate of energy efficiency improvement of recent decades.
	Key measures proposed in the White Paper include extension of the Energy Efficiency Commitment beyond 2005 at possibly twice its current level of activity; improvements in building standards through further revisions to the Building Regulations; faster improvements in the standards of new household appliances; and consultation on economic instruments to improve household energy efficiency.
	Already established are a wide range of policies and measures to encourage energy efficiency across the economy. These include:
	Climate Change Agreements, where companies can gain an 80 per cent. discount from the Climate Change Levy for eligible processes by entering into Agreements and meeting energy efficiency targets;
	the work of the Carbon Trust, which takes the lead on energy efficiency for business and the public sector, and supports the development of a low carbon economy in the UK. The Trust was launched in April 2001 as part of the CCL package;
	the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), which will generate significant emissions reductions and is the first economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme in the world. The UK Government is also working towards implementing the European ETS, due to start on 1 January 2005.
	funding for the Energy Saving Trust to run a number of programmes to promote the sustainable and efficient use of energy in homes. The Trust also facilitates the Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes, which brings together key stakeholders to support and promote domestic energy efficiency.
	encouraging improvements in product standards so that energy-using appliances operate more efficiently;
	the Building Regulations, updated in 2002, which are already delivering significant energy efficiency improvements in new and existing buildings.
	The Government intend to publish an Energy Efficiency Implementation Plan within a year of the White Paper's publication, which will provide further detail on all of these policies.

Enhanced Capital Allowance Scheme

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many businesses are taking part in the Enhanced Capital Allowance Scheme through (a) the Carbon Trust, (b) her Department and (c) the Inland Revenue.

Elliot Morley: The Department has joint policy lead for the energy efficiency Enhanced Capital Allowance scheme with Inland Revenue and Treasury. In August 2002 the Carbon Trust took over the administration and promotion of this scheme.
	On 5 August 2003 a Treasury Order came into effect revising the qualifying technologies eligible for the energy efficiency EGA. As of 1 September 2003 the number of companies with qualifying products (manufacturers and distributors) stands at 289, while individual products numbered 5255.

Environment Agency

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will place in the Library a copy of the results of the Environment Agency's May 2003 survey of public opinion.

Margaret Beckett: I am happy to place a copy of the results of the Environment Agency survey in the Library.

Food Expenditure

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent on food by her Department and by each of the agencies for which it is responsible in (a) 200102 and (b) 200203; what proportion of that food by value was produced; what guidance she has issued to encourage the procurement of home-produced food; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: Expenditure on food in Defra is generally limited to official hospitality provided by Defra and canteen subsidies. Records of spend on food provided at some external conferences and like events are not kept centrally and so will not be included.
	In 200102 Defra recorded expenditure of 139,984 on hospitality and 395,277 on canteen subsidies. The figures for 200203 were 202,029 and 409,179 respectively.
	Information made available by canteen service providers indicates that on average 67 per cent. of the food they procured was produced in the UK. Therefore, the monetary value of UK produced food supplied to Defra as official hospitality and indirectly through subsidies is estimated to be 357,509 in 200202 and 408,287 in 200203.
	Defra has published a Guidance and action Sheet for buyers and their internal customers that includes guidance on local sourcing and in particular how to remove obstacles to tendering faced by local and UK suppliers. It can be seen on our website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/sustain/procurement/index.htm. Defra has also produced a model food procurement action plan with guidance for completion that includes an objective concerned with opening up opportunities for local providers to compete for business. The guidance takes account of the Government's policy of achieving value for money in public procurement, and its commitment under the EC rules to ensure that public procurement is fair, transparent and non-discriminatory. We are also taking a number of other steps to integrate sustainable development into the public procurement of food and catering services. We have had bilateral meetings at Ministerial and senior management level (including with representatives of local government) and have published a number of case studies. A national conference on 26 November will raise awareness still further and that will be followed by regional workshops next year. Within Defra we are discussing with our catering service providers the scope they have for purchasing local and UK produce.

Fruit and Vegetable Imports

Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the purpose is of the import duties charged by the EU for the import of fruit and vegetables, with particular reference to (a) peas, (b) pineapples, (c) honeydew melons, (d) apricots, (e) strawberries, (f) raspberries and (g) sugar; what criteria were used for setting the level of import duty in each case; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 18 September 2003
	The purpose of import duties on fruit and vegetables is to prevent or counteract adverse effects on the market in the Community which may result from imports of these products. The duty rates applied are those set out in the Common Customs Tariff and are reviewed from time to time as a consequence of international negotiations. Variations in the amount of duty paid reflect seasonal factors and the declared or standard value of the produce.

GM Crops

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how often her Department's Ministers have met (a) Doug Parr of Greenpeace, (b) Patrick Holden of the Soil Association and (c) scientists working on GM crops in the last 12 months.

Margaret Beckett: Defra Ministers have met either Douglas Parr of Greenpeace, Patrick Holden of the Soil Association or scientists working on GM crops a total of six times in the last 12 months as follows:
	
		
			 Date Minister Who met 
		
		
			 18 September 2002 Michael Meacher Patrick HoldenSoil Association 
			 24 September 2002 Michael Meacher Greenpeace Scientists 
			 17 December 2002 Margaret Beckett Scientists 
			 03 March 2003 Michael Meacher Patrick HoldenSoil Association 
			 10 June 2003 Margaret Beckett Scientists 
			 01 July 2003 Margaret Beckett Scientists

Landfill Sites

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many landfill sites in each Environment Agency region are licensed to accept hazardous waste; how many sites in each such region will be licensed to accept hazardous waste after July 2004; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: Information from the Environment Agency's conditioning plan exercise carried out in July 2002, covering England and Wales, indicated the following:
	
		
			 Region Hazardous(post 2002) Hazardous(post 2004) 
		
		
			 Anglian 47 9 
			 Midlands 42 4 
			 North East 39 11 
			 North West 27 8 
			 South West 16 1 
			 Southern 13 1 
			 Thames 19 0 
			 Wales 15 3 
			 Total 218 37 
		
	
	Given that July 2004 is still some time away, the actual number may well change before then. Also, there will be scope to landfill treated hazardous waste in separate cells in landfills classified as non-hazardous.

Landfill Sites

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what amount of hazardous waste was sent to landfill in each year since 1996.

Margaret Beckett: The amount of special waste sent to landfill (as notified to the Environment Agency on special waste consignment notes) for the calendar years 1999, 2000 and 2001 is as follows:
	
		
			  Tonnes 
		
		
			 1999 2,092,490 
			 2000 2,054,084 
			 2001 2,332,000 
		
	
	Information in respect of earlier years is not held centrally. Data for 2002 are not yet available.

Landfill Sites

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the amount of hazardous waste that will be sent to landfill in (a) 2004, (b) 2005 and (c) 2006.

Margaret Beckett: In 2001, 2,332,000 tonnes of hazardous waste were disposed to landfill in England and Wales. Projections for future years are affected by a range of factors, including the likely increase in costs of treatment and disposal as a result of requirements in the Landfill Directive, and the impact of these changes in costs on producers efforts to minimise waste. Changes to the hazardous waste list are likely to increase the amount of hazardous waste to be consigned. These and other factors are currently being investigated in support of work on possible scenarios for the hazardous waste forum, which is due to report in the autumn.

Landfill Sites

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the likely change in costs of sending hazardous waste to landfill after implementation of the ban on co-disposal in July 2004.

Margaret Beckett: A Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) of the Landfill Directive in England and Wales was published with the Second Consultation Paper on Implementation of Council Directive (1999/31/EC) on the Landfill of Waste. This is available on the Defra website (www.defra.gov.uk). The RIA points out that increasing disposal costs will provide greater impetus to minimise, recycle and re-use waste and hence move the management of waste up the waste hierarchy. This outcome is a major objective of the Government's environmental policy and is supported by business, non-Government organisations and Select Committees of this House.
	The RIA indicates that at the extreme, waste producers will face an additional cost in the range of 97 million to 696 million. Part of this increased cost relates to landfilling hazardous waste; this fell into the range of 15 million to 87 million.
	The RIA recognises that many of the potential benefits cannot be quantified but believes that a number will be of local significance where they result in a reduced impact of existing landfills. These benefits relate principally to reducing health and environmental risks and by promoting more sustainable options as set out above. The RIA also draws attention to benefits from investment in treatment technologies and rising landfill standards that could result in new opportunities for business.

Light Pollution

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent guidance she has issued to local authorities and other relevant bodies on light pollution.

Ben Bradshaw: In 1997 the Government issued Lighting in the Countryside: Towards Good Practice. This document continues to be a valuable guide for local authorities, highway engineers and members of the public. It demonstrates what can be done to lessen the adverse effects of external lighting, including security lights and street lighting. The advice within it is applicable in towns as well as the countryside. Copies may be obtained from: www.odpm.gov.uk
	Defra considered the control of nuisance caused by security lighting in its recent consultation, Living Places: Powers, Rights, Responsibilities. A summary of the comments received to this consultation exercise has now been published. A copy of this document may be obtained from: www.defra.gov.uk/environment/consult/pubspace/index.htm. Most of the respondents who mentioned the document, Lighting in the Countryside: Towards Good Practice, considered it very useful, but felt it needed updating with more examples of good practice.
	The Government will consider what additional guidance on light pollution may be needed, taking into consideration any recommendations emerging from Defra's consultation exercise and from the House of Commons Select Committee's recent inquiry into light pollution and astronomy that was recently completed.

Local Wildlife Sites

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many local wildlife sites there are.

Margaret Beckett: I understand from the Wildlife Trusts' publication Status of UK Wildlife Site Systems 2002 that there are at least 37,045 local wildlife sites in the United Kingdom.

Loss Insurance

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with interested parties regarding loss insurance in the event of a disease outbreak in (a) animals and (b) crops.

Ben Bradshaw: The purpose of discussions about loss insurance for disease outbreaks is to explore ways to reduce the cost to taxpayers of such outbreaks. For animal diseases a working group which Defra set up with representatives of the insurance and livestock sectors met several times last year. The group has completed its initial task and we are now working on proposals for the livestock sector to bear a greater share of the cost of animal diseases. While there is no cost to taxpayers from crop diseases, wider discussions on crop insurance generally were held last year by a joint Defra/HM Treasury working group on farm risk management, with representatives from the finance and arable sectors.

Media Training

Howard Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost was to her Department of media and voice training for Ministers and officials in each year since 1997.

Margaret Beckett: To the best of my knowledge, none. However, officials can attend the courses run by the Corporate Development Group under its CMPS banner. Four specifically cover media and voice training. These are Top Management Programme; Creating Personal Impact; Developing Style and Presence; Media Skills. The details requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Microsoft

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was paid to Microsoft in licensing fees by her Department and its agencies in each of the last three years; and how much has been budgeted for (a) 200304 and (b) 200405.

Alun Michael: Defra was established as a new Department in 2001. Defra and its executive agencies paid Microsoft 1,004,963 for software licences for financial year 200102, 913,575 for 200203 and 528,853 for 200304 to date.
	Budget provision for Microsoft licensing for 200304 is 773,162 and for 200405 is 969,690.
	These figures exclude the cost of licences for Windows operating systems on new personal computers and laptops, which are provided and paid for by the manufacturers under separate arrangements.
	All sums are inclusive of VAT; financial years start 1 April.

Ministerial Meetings

Joyce Quin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how often she met her counterparts in the devolved Administrations in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: I have met my counterparts in the devolved Administrations on 7 occasions over the past 12 months in regular arranged meetings in London. However, I have also met with them on a number of occasions whenever they have attended Agriculture Council in Brussels and Luxembourg.

Ministerial Visits

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the (a) foreign visits and (b) visits within the United Kingdom she has made since 1 April; whom she met; what the cost was to public funds of each trip; and what gifts were received.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 8 September 2003
	The Government publishes the overall costs of all ministerial overseas travel and a list of all visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of 500 on an annual basis. The list for the period 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003 was published by the Prime Minister on 16 July, Official Report, column 482W. The next list for the period 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004 will be published at the end of the financial year.
	In respect of gifts received, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, on 1 4 March, Official Report, column 482W.
	Since 1 April, I have undertaken one visit in the UK; to the Royal Agricultural Show in Stoneleigh, Warwickshire. The cost of this visit was over 500. No gifts were received.

Mobile Phones

Howard Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost was to her Department of mobile phones supplied to Ministers and officials in each year since 1997.

Margaret Beckett: The cost to my Department of mobile phones supplied to Ministers and officials since 8 June 2001 (when Defra was formed) were as follows:
	
		
		
			 Year end 31 March Secretariat Defra 
		
		
			 200102(50) 13,311 2,517,693 
			 200203 13,895 625,467 
			 200304(51) 1,537 115,018 
		
	
	(50) Part year
	(51) To 31 July 2003
	The Defra mobile phone expenditure includes 1,970,611 in 2002 and 148,098 incurred in respect of Foot and Mouth Disease.

Airport Development (South-East)

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what studies her Department has commissioned to assess the impact of proposed new airport developments at (a) Heathrow, (b) Gatwick, (c) Stansted and (d) Cliffe on the extent of human exposure to nitrogen dioxide.

Margaret Beckett: We have not commissioned any air quality studies to assess the impacts of the proposed new airport developments at Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted or Cliffe.
	The Future Development of Air Transport in the UK: South East consultation document issued by DfT in February 2003, sets out the environmental impacts, including the extent of human exposure to nitrogen dioxide levels, of the proposed new airport developments at each of the airports in the south-east. My officials have been in contact with DfT officials about the results presented in the consultation document, and they have informed them about the results from our national modelling of air quality, including around airports and the current results from the local air quality management system. My officials will also be working closely with DfT and officials in other Government Departments in drawing up the Air Transport White Paper.

Peat Extraction

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the peat extraction sites in the UK (a) which are operational and (b) where active permissions remain valid.

Ben Bradshaw: This information is not available in the format requested. However a survey of land for mineral workings in England in 2000 commissioned by the former Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions indicated that nationally, approximately 5,200 hectares is permitted for peat production at about 180 sites, of which approximately 300 hectares remains to be worked but where the permissions remain valid. The raw data came from Mineral Planning Authorities but two of the largest authorities were unable to produce accurate survey data and assumptions were made based on previous information.

Phytophthora Ramorum

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what study her Department has made into the incidence of Phytophthora ramorum in wild-growing Rhododendron ponticum.

Margaret Beckett: In collaboration with the Forestry Commission, English Nature, and the Countryside Commission for Wales, Defra is currently undertaking a survey of a sample of areas of wild-growing Rhododendron ponticum in order to establish the extent of the presence of Phytophthora ramorum and the likely impact on our native flora. To date 56 such sites have been inspected for the presence of the organism but it has been found on only two sites, both of which are in the area of an existing confirmed outbreak.

Phytophthora Ramorum

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will place in the Library a list of gardens open to the public that have been served with enforcement notices in respect of Phytophthora ramorum during 2003.

Margaret Beckett: The Government believe the public should have as much information as possible about this disease and is happy to meet all reasonable requests for information. However, the information obtained specifically in relation to individual premises has been gathered in pursuance of the Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate's statutory powers and on the basis of this information, where necessary, enforcement notices are issued to ensure compliance. In the absence of a statutory obligation to publish details identifying individual premises, to publish such details without consent could seriously jeopardise our ability to work with business in relation to the reporting and control of Phytophthora ramorum.

Phytophthora Ramorum

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many gardens and nurseries have been visited by her Department's staff during 2003 in order to take samples to test for Phytophthora ramorum; what the time scale is for the testing programme; how many staff are employed on the testing programme; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: Since 1 January 2003, staff from Defra's Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate, the Horticultural Marketing Inspectorate and the Central Science Laboratory have visited 2,961 parks, gardens, nurseries and other retail outlets in order to take samples to test for Phytophthora ramorum. Up to 14 scientific staff from the Central Science Laboratory are directly involved in the process of testing for this disease and each routine test can take up to seven days.
	Defra has committed resources to continue the visits and the testing programme at least until the end of March 2004.

Phytophthora Ramorum

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research she has commissioned to discover for how long Phytophthora ramorum has been present in rhododendrons and related plants in this country.

Margaret Beckett: It is unlikely that we will be able to determine exactly how long Phytophthora ramorum has been present in rhododendrons and related plants in this country. However, surveys are currently being conducted to establish how widespread the disease is and this may give an indication of how long it has been present.
	In addition, the literature has been reviewed for records of Phytophthora species on rhododendrons in the UK. The established authority Pathogens of Trees and Shrubs by Pearce, published in 1963, states that at that time there was no evidence of any Phytophthora on rhododendrons. The first record of a Phytophthora species on this host was in 1968. Phytophthora ramorum was first described as a new species in October 2001 and first found in the UK in April 2002.

Phytophthora Ramorum

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many samples have been tested for Phytophthora ramorum during 2003; what proportion of samples have proven positive; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: Since 1 January 2003, 3883 individual laboratory tests have been carried out on samples of plant material suspected of being infected with Phytophthora ramorum fungus in the United Kingdom. 15.9 per cent. of these samples were confirmed as being infected with this pathogen.
	Defra and the devolved authorities continue to survey for the disease and to take eradication action against any findings.

Habitats Directive

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the 96 Habitats Directive sites identified by the Environment Agency in its Composite Plan, page 8, as most at risk of being damaged, including in each case the nature and source of the damage.

Margaret Beckett: The Habitats Directive sites identified on page 8 of the Environment Agency's Corporate Plan for England have been placed in the Library of the House; the responsibility for Wales rests with the National Assembly for Wales.

Habitats Directive

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will place in the Library a copy of the results and conclusions of the Environment Agency's Habitats Directive benefits assessment of 2003.

Margaret Beckett: I am happy to place a copy of the conclusions of the Environment Agency's benefits assessment of 2003 in the Library. It should be noted that the addendum (item (iii) in para. 1.3 of the covering paper) is the result of further work done after consideration of the initial paper, and the figures therefore replace those shown in para. 4.1 and Appendix 1 of that paper.

Pollution

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) serious (category 1) and (b) significant (category 2) pollution incidents there have been in each year since 1996.

Margaret Beckett: The number of Category 1 and 2 incidents affecting water for each year from 1996 is shown in the table, together with the number of Category 1 and 2 incidents affecting all media (air, land and water) from 1999. Statistics relating to air and land were not reported to the Environment Agency prior to 1999.
	
		
			  1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			 Category 1 incidents affecting water 156 194 128 90 77 118 79 
			 Category 2 incidents affecting water 1,510 1,354 1,238 863 758 860 760 
			 Category 1 affecting all media (air, land and water) from 1999131 99 147 109 
			 Category 2 affecting all media (air, land and water) from 19991,387 1,198 1,707 1,357

Pollution

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many current applications for pollution prevention and control permits have been pending for four months or longer.

Margaret Beckett: Schedule 1 to the PPC Regulations categorises installations subject to integrated pollution prevention and control into Part A(1) and Part A(2). If the installation is categorised as a Part A(1) installation then the permit application must be made to the Environment Agency. The Part A(1) installations are generally larger or more complex than Part A(2) installations, which are regulated by the relevant local authority.
	If a regulator requires more information before it can reach a final decision on an application, it can issue a notice to an operator requesting the information under Schedule 4 of the PPC Regulations. This inevitably delays the process significantly.
	Currently 160 permit applications made to the Environment Agency have been under determination for four months or longer. Local authority data are collected annually and information for this the first major year of operation will not be available until autumn 2004.

Poultry Industry

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has for ensuring that the UK poultry industry is able to remain competitive; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: From the industry's perspective, the principal need is for Government to avoid unnecessary burdens or obstacles, while ensuring that standards (including those related to the environment and animal health and welfare) meet public requirements.
	Our priorities in this sector are to continue to act where there is clear evidence of illegal competition from third countries; within overall government policy, to work to achieve a satisfactory WTO agreement; domestically and internationally, to strike an appropriate balance between need for regulation and overburdening industry; in line with the Government's wider Sustainable Farming and Food Strategy, to encourage industry to look increasingly towards value added/premium products; to support poultry industry participation in Defra's sustainability forum; and to continue to participate fully in EU negotiations on animal welfare issues affecting the poultry industry.

Poultry Industry

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the suppliers of poultry meat whose consignments have been found to contain nitrofurans, indicating in each case the date of detection and the subsequent period of time during which imports from that source were stopped.

Melanie Johnson: I have been asked to reply.
	Poultry meat consignments (from Thailand and Brazil) are required to be tested for nitrofurans before they are allowed into the food chain. Any consignments containing nitrofurans above the reporting limit are destroyed. The results are also reported to the European Commission (EC) through the rapid alert system for food and feed (RASFF). The EC has made it clear that supplier details contained in these rapid alerts are confidential.
	Records of United Kingdom raised RASFFs show that nitrofurans residues were detected in the following consignments of poultry sampled on the dates shown in the table.
	
		Dates of sampling for nitrofuran positive poultry samples (UK)
		
			 2002  2003 
		
		
			 25 March (3 samples) 22 July 1 February 
			 26 March 24 July 19 February 
			 29 March 31 October 25 March 
			 30 March 1 November  
			 5 April 19 November  
			 23 April 21 November  
			 4 May 2 December  
			 10 July

Poultry Industry

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make it her policy to make representations to the European Commission to delist third country plants that have been found to have exported poultry meat containing nitrofurans into the European Union.

Melanie Johnson: I have been asked to reply.
	Representation has been made to the European Commission (EC) to delist third country plants exporting products of animal origin containing illegal veterinary residues, for example, nitrofurans and chloramphenicol. The EC is responsible for pursuing this issue with the third countries concerned to ensure that plants for which repeated failures are reported are delisted.

Private Office Costs

Howard Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what have been the running costs of Ministers' private offices in her Department in each year since 1997.

Margaret Beckett: The running costs of Ministers' private offices in my Department since 8 June 2001 (when Defra was formed) were as follows:
	
		
			 Year end 31 March  
		
		
			 200102(52) 943,101 
			 200203 1,194,162 
			 200304(53) 269,367 
		
	
	(52) Part year
	(53) To 31 July 2003

Radioactive Material

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what quantity of radioactive material has been incorporated into consumer goods pursuant to EU Directive 96/29.

Elliot Morley: This is a matter for my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.

Refreshing the Rural White Paper

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the re-appraisal document, Refreshing the Rural White Paper, and its conclusions on whether affordable housing in small villages is sustainable.

Alun Michael: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced a review of the Rural White Paper last November. The review is nearing completion and will be published in due course.
	As my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Housing and Planning announced on 17 July, Official Report, column 53WS, the Government are consulting on an update of the existing nationwide guidance on planning for affordable housing, and the public consultation period runs until October 31. The update will be supported by practice advice. The update addresses a number of matters including the provision of affordable housing in rural areas. The proposed changes give greater flexibility to local authorities to seek affordable housing on smaller sites where this is justified. It is also envisaged that in rural areas affordable housing provision may be supported by allocating sites solely for affordable housing, on land within or adjoining existing villages, which would not otherwise be released for housing and where this would contribute to the attainment of mixed communities.

Retail Banks

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how often she has met the head of the agricultural departments of retail banks in the last six months.

Margaret Beckett: I have not done so in the last six months.

Sea Temperature

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what records she maintains of sea temperature around the various sectors of the British Isles; and what movements in temperature have taken place over the last 20 years.

Ben Bradshaw: Sea temperature data collected for the waters around the British Isles are collated by such national and international bodies as the British Oceanographic Data Centre and the Hydrographic Service of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES).
	The ICES Working Group on Oceanic Hydrography produces an Annual Ocean Climate Status Summary of the North Atlantic Region, and include long time series from the seas around the British Isles.
	Other relevant publications include:
	Alcock, G. and Rickards, L. (2001) Climate of UK waters at the millennium: Status and trends. Inter-Agency Committee on Marine Science and Technology, IACMST Information Document, 9, 48 pp.
	Clark, R. A., Fox, C. J., Ben-Hamadou, R. and Planque, B. (2001) A directory of hydrographic and atmospheric datasets for the north east Atlantic and UK shelf seas. CEFAS, Science Series Technical Report, 113, 43 pp.
	Round Britain most surface temperature series show a warming trend at a rate of between 0.5oC and 1oC per decade since the 1960s. This warming has largely been driven by a strongly positive phase of the fluctuating atmospheric pattern called the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO).

Sea Temperature

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the sea temperature bands required by each main species of fish in waters surrounding the British Isles.

Ben Bradshaw: The table shows the estimated temperature range associated with several important commercial species:
	
		
			 Common name Scientific name Temperature (C) Range  
		
		
			 Cod Gadus morhua 020 
			 Haddock Melanogrammus aeglefinus 410 
			 Saithe Pollachius virens Temperate 
			 Ling Molva molva Temperate 
			 Whiting Merlangius merlangus Temperate 
			 Monkfish Lophius piscatorius Temperate 
			 Salmon Salmo salar 29 
			 Bass Dicentrarchus labrax 824 
			 Dogfish Scyliorhinus canicula Sub-tropical 
			 Plaice Pleuronectes platessa 215 
			 Lemon sole Microstomus kitt Temperate 
			 Sole Solea solea 824 
			 Herring Clupea harengus 118 
			 Mackerel Scomber scombrus 414 
			 Sprat Sprattus sprattus Temperate 
			 Pilchard Sardina pilchardus Sub-tropical 
			 Sandeel Ammodytidae Temperate 
		
	
	Note
	References to temperate and sub-tropical in the table indicate that a specified range is not available in the scientific literature.
	While a change in sea temperature could affect stock distribution, spawning, migratory patterns and survival of very young fish, the effect of long term temperature trends on fish stocks is not easy to predict. Increased sea temperature has been linked to reduced recruitment (the numbers of young fish entering the population) in cold-water species such as cod, and improved recruitment in other species such as bass, but the factors influencing the survival of fish are complex and in many cases still poorly understood. For heavily fished species, fishing pressure remains the primary control on stock size but recruitment success also has a significant impact.

Secondments

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her Department's policy is on employing secondees from the private sector; how many secondees from the (a) private and (b) public sectors her Department employed in each year since 1997; from which companies and organisations they were seconded; at what level they were employed; and if she will make a statement.

Alun Michael: Secondments into and out of Defra are vital in meeting our commitment to develop a modern, flexible, outward focused Civil Service that works in partnership with all sectors of society. Defra promotes and encourages the interchange of personnel between the Department and a range of organisations, in the private sector, the public sector and the voluntary and community sector.
	Since the creation of Defra in June 2001 the Department has seconded personnel from the following organisations all at middle to senior management level:
	
		
			  Organisation 
			 From June 2001 to March 2002  
		
		
			 Private BBC 
			  British Petroleum 
			  GlaxoKlineSmith 
			  Greater London Enterprise 
			 Total 4 
			   
			 Public Countryside Agency (2) 
			  English Nature 
			  Environment Agency 
			  Imperial College 
			  Local Government Association 
			  New Zealand Government 
			  Warwick University 
			  Natural Environment Research Council 
			 Total 9 
			   
			 Voluntary and Community World Wildlife Fund 
			  Year in Industry 
			 Total 2 
			   
			 April 2002 to March 2003  
			 Private Chemical Industrial Association 
			  Envirowise 
			  TXU Warm Front 
			 Total 3 
			   
			 Public Countryside Agency (2) 
			  English Nature 
			  Environment Agency (4) 
			  Forum for the Future 
			  Global to Local 
			  Gloucestershire CC 
			  Energy Action Grants Agency (EAGA) 
			 Total 11 
			   
			 Voluntary and Community Environmental Campaigns 
			  Groundwork 
			  Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) (2) 
			  World Wildlife Fund 
			 Total 5 
			 April 2003-to date  
			 Private Powergen CPH Ltd. 
			 Total 1 
			   
			 Public Cambridgeshire CC 
			  English Nature 
			  Environment Agency (2) 
			  SW Regional Development Agency 
			 Total 5 
			   
			 Voluntary and Community Environmental Campaigns 
			 Total 1 
		
	
	Letter from Professor Mike Roberts to Ms Annabelle Ewing, dated July 2003
	The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has asked me to reply, with respect to the Central Science Laboratory, to your question concerning secondees from the private and public sectors since 1997.
	The purpose of inward secondments from the private sector is to allow CSL to seek specialist expertise which cannot be provided by existing staff and for which recruitment to permanent posts is not appropriate. Modified rules on fair and open competition apply. CSL would ensure that the best candidate has been selected and the candidate's qualifications and experience qualify them to undertake the duties required. The secondee would continue to be paid and formally employed by the organisation that seconds them and the organisation invoices CSL for the salary costs.
	A posting from another Government Department is classed as a loan and can be for up to 23 years. Payment of salary is taken over by the importing department.
	CSL have not had any inward secondments from the private sector since 1997. There has been one loan in 2002 from VLA, a consultant in Veterinary Parasitology.

Sheep

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what compensation is available for farmers whose sheep may be affected by bluetongue.

Ben Bradshaw: The 1981 Animal Health Act provides for compensation in the event of sheep slaughtered following an outbreak of bluetongue. However, slaughter would not be the primary method of control. A Compensation Order would need to be made in relation to bluetongue to reflect Government policy on compensation at the time of the outbreak.
	The Government would not pay for sheep to be treated following infection with Bluetongue.

Sheep

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will place a copy of her Department's contingency plan for bluetongue in the Library.

Ben Bradshaw: Copies of the Bluetongue contingency plan have been placed in the House of Commons and House of Lords Libraries and a copy is in the main Defra library.
	In addition, the plan is available on the Defra website: http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/disease/bluecontin.PDF

Sheep

Gwyn Prosser: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many live sheep have been imported into the United Kingdom to date in 2003 for (a) slaughter, (b) further fattening and (c) breeding; and how many of the sheep in each of these categories were imported from each country of origin;
	(2)  how many live sheep were imported into the United Kingdom through Dover on 3 September; whether the sheep were imported for (a) slaughter, (b) further fattening and (c) breeding; and what the addresses were of the places of (i) departure and (ii) final destination given on the route plan for each of the consignments.

Ben Bradshaw: Our records show that the number of live sheep that were imported into the UK for (a) slaughter, (b) further fattening and (c) breeding between 1 January 2003 and 11 September 2003 is 31,993. The following table shows the breakdown by country:
	
		
			 Country Slaughter Further fattening Breeding 
		
		
			 Belgium   238 
			 France 666 410 11 
			 The Netherlands 132  393 
			 The Republic of Ireland 27,257 1,675 353 
			 Spain 680   
			 New Zealand   24 
			 Poland  154  
		
	
	Our records show that 328 sheep were imported through Dover on 3 September, all of them for slaughter. Details of the places of departure and final destination given on the route plan are treated as commercially confidential information.

Sheep

Gwyn Prosser: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many live sheep were exported from Dover to continental Europe on 3 September; when and where health certification was carried out in respect of the sheep; how many of the sheep were rejected as unfit for the intended journey (a) during inspection for heath certification purposes and (b) at Dover docks; to where those sheep were taken; and what the address of the final destination given on the route plan was for each of the consignments.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  As at 3 September 2003 
		
		
			 Total animals 2,516 
			 Where consignments were certified England and Scotland 
			 Animals rejected at certification (54)22 
			 Animals rejected at Dover docks 0 
			 Destination Netherlands 
		
	
	(54) Additionally four sheep were rejected after certification and before loading onto the lorry. The sheep rejected for export remained in Great Britain.
	The sheep for the consignment were certified within 24 hours prior to export. The consignment was for sheep for further fattening which were transported to a single holding.

Sites of Special Scientific Interest

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of sites of special scientific interest owned by the Environment Agency are assessed as in a favourable condition.

Margaret Beckett: Scientific assessment by English Nature shows that 76.1 per cent. of the area covered by its sites of special scientific interest is either in favourable or recovering from unfavourable condition. The remaining 23.9 per cent. is not in favourable condition and the agency is drawing up plans to remedy the situation.

Sites of Special Scientific Interest

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the sites of special scientific interest in the ownership of her Department and its agencies.

Margaret Beckett: There is one site, Boxworth Experimental Husbandry Farm, Boxworth, Cambridge that includes land designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Sustainable Energy

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps are being taken to promote sustainable energy.

Stephen Timms: I have been asked to reply.
	Sustainable forms of energy are at the heart of the Government's energy policyas set out in this year's White Paper, Our Energy Future: Creating a Low Carbon Economy. This encompasses renewable energy, cleaner coal technologies, and fuel cells.
	To take forward the commitments made in the White Paper, we have established the Sustainable Energy Policy Network (SEPN) of departmental policy units, regulators, Devolved Administrations and delivery organisations that are involved in delivering the White Paper's commitments. The network is overseen by a Ministerial Group chaired jointly by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The Ministerial Group will be provided with independent advice by the creation of a Sustainable Energy Policy Advisory Board (SEPAB), made up of senior independent experts.
	For renewable energy, we have already been working hard to create a comprehensive framework to meet our target that 10 per cent. of electricity should be sourced from renewables by 2010, and our aspiration that this should be doubled by 2020. Licensed electricity suppliers in England, Scotland and Wales are subject to the Renewables Obligationrequiring them to supply a specified and growing amount of their sales from electricity generated from a range of eligible renewable sources. The Obligation is backed up by a package of funding worth nearly 350 million. This is divided between: capital grants, which are available to help kickstart a range of new and emerging technologies, for example, offshore wind, wave and tidal power and solar photovoltaics; and the New  Renewable RD programme.

Waste Disposal/Management

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the Government's policy on the implementation of European legislation on the treatment and disposal of liquid dredgings from waterways.

Margaret Beckett: The regulatory and technical provisions of the 1999 EU Landfill Directive, including those on the treatment and disposal of liquid dredgings, were implemented in England and Wales by the Landfill (England and Wales) Regulations 2002. The Government recognise that some organisations responsible for the management of waterways in England may encounter difficulties in disposing of liquid dredged material, particularly when the ban on landfilling of liquid wastes comes fully into force. (The decision on when the ban will start will be taken following consultation with interested parties). The Department is currently working with waterways' representatives to identify a way forward that meets the needs of all parties.

Waste Disposal/Management

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the cost to industry of a requirement to recover 60 per cent. of packaging waste by 2008.

Margaret Beckett: An assessment of the likely costs to industry was included in the draft Regulatory Impact Assessment which forms part of the Consultation Paper on Changes to the Packaging Regulations issued by the Department on 21 July 2003. A copy of the RIA will be laid in the Library of the House when finalised towards the end of the year.

Waste Disposal/Management

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance she offers to farmers wishing to dispose of (a) farm plastics and (b) silage wrap.

Elliot Morley: Current guidance to farmers wishing to dispose of (a) farm plastics and (b) silage wrap is contained in the Codes of Good Agricultural Practice.
	However, we will shortly be consulting on Regulations to apply the controls necessary under the Waste Framework Directive to agricultural waste. The Regulations will prohibit the burial and uncontrolled burning of agricultural waste. Until these Regulations come into force we can only encourage farmers to dispose of their waste in ways that are not harmful to the environment and human health.
	Within the consultation exercise, we will also be seeking comments on the options for a scheme to collect and recycle farm plastics.
	The consultation will be issued in late 2003.

Waste Disposal/Management

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on progress in distributing to local authorities the 200304 financial allocation for the Waste Implementation Programme.

Margaret Beckett: As announced on 4 July, 24 million of the funds available to the Waste Implementation Programme in this Financial Year will be allocated to local authorities through the Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund. 3.6 million was allocated to London, and Defra has announced the 19 schemes we propose to support elsewhere in the country. Funds will be distributed in response to valid claims sent by the relevant local authorities.

Waste Disposal/Management

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what criteria she intends to use to determine the allocation of money to local authorities under the Waste Management Performance Fund.

Margaret Beckett: No decisions have yet been taken on the criteria to be used for making awards from the Performance Reward Grant, which will be introduced in 200506. The Government will consult interested parties on the design of the Grant towards the end of this year.

Waste Disposal/Management

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether it is her policy that local authorities should be allowed to carry forward into the next financial year money allocated through the Waste Implementation Programme.

Margaret Beckett: As announced on 4 July, 24 million of the funds available to the Waste Implementation Programme in this financial year will be allocated to local authorities through the Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund. The current Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund is a discrete year fund and as such there is no automatic right to end of year flexibility for local authorities. If there are valid reasons that local authorities will not be able to complete their capital spend the Department can seek end-year flexibility.

Waste Disposal/Management

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much household waste was collected in (a) 1996 and (b) 2002.

Elliot Morley: Results from the Municipal Waste Management Survey show that the amount of waste collected from households in England were 22,549 thousand tonnes in 199697 and 25,592 thousand tonnes in 200102. Results for 200203 are not yet available.

Wildlife Trusts

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what meetings have been held by Ministers and her officials in the last year with representatives of the wildlife trusts.

Margaret Beckett: My hon. Friend the Minister of State for Environment met Dr. Simon Lyster and John Everitt of the Wildlife Trusts on 2 December 2002. In addition, representatives of the Wildlife Trusts regularly meet with Defra officials on matters of mutual interest, and have attended numerous functions where Defra Ministers have been present.

Zoo Animals

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of llamas and alpacas kept (a) in zoos and (b) outside zoos in the United Kingdom.

Margaret Beckett: As the licensing of zoos is a function for local authorities, there are no central records for the numbers of different species kept in zoos. The British Llama and Alpaca Association's own figures indicate that there are in the region of 2,700 llamas and 4,5005,500 alpacas in private ownership in the UK.

Zoo Animals

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make it her policy to provide a general exemption for keepers of llamas and alpacas from the requirement to hold a zoo licence.

Margaret Beckett: The advice received from the Zoos Forum is that New World Camelids such as llamas and alpacas have not been kept in this country in sufficient numbers for sufficient time for them to be considered normally domesticated in Great Britain and they therefore fall within the scope of zoo licensing legislation.
	Keepers of llamas and alpacas wishing to exhibit their animals to the public for seven days or more in any period of 12 consecutive months are therefore required to apply for a zoo licence. However, establishments displaying small numbers of llamas and alpacas may be eligible for a full exemption from the Act or for dispensations from the full inspection regime. I consider each case on its own merits.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Fraud

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the impact of credit card fraud on British businesses' operating costs.

Hazel Blears: The Government do not collect figures on the cost of credit card fraud but the Association for Payment Clearing Services (APACS) estimates the cost of all plastic card fraud in the year to August 2002 to be 424.6 million. A majority of these costs will be borne by businesses. As with all expenses the costs of card fraud will have an impact on business's operating costs.
	APACS figures up to July 2003, which have not yet been published, suggest a year on year decline in card fraud of around 5 per cent. This follows a number of initiatives both within government and in partnership with the private sector to combat this type of fraud.
	In April 2002, the Government launched a two-year pilot of a unique policing unit (the Dedicated Cheque and Plastic Crime UnitDCPCU) based in London, which works closely with the banking industry to reduce organised card and cheque fraud, using intelligence largely provided by the card industry. DCPCU has had significant success in its first year including recovery of more than 4,000 cards and 524 cheques, resulting in 59 arrests and six convictions with potential savings of 13.35 million.
	The Government are actively supporting the introduction of 'Chip and PIN', a major finance and retail industry initiative to reduce card fraud. This involves the introduction of microchips into payment cards to help authentication, combined with the use of PIN codes in place of signatures. The banking industry anticipates that by 2005 the new Chip and PIN technology will eliminate over half of the predicted level of plastic card fraud in the UK.

Fraud

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment he has made of the cost of fraud in the UK's financial services industry on the UK economy.

Caroline Flint: A Home Office study, the Economic and Social Costs of Crime, published in July 2000 estimated that the total economic cost of fraud in Britain was up to 13.8 billion in 2000, equivalent to 230 per head. The Home Office does not collate separate figures on the costs of fraud in the United Kingdom's financial services industry.

Fraud

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with (a) credit card companies, (b) representatives of the retail sector and (c) law enforcement agencies on the level of credit card fraud in the United Kingdom.

Hazel Blears: The Home Office is actively supporting the finance and retail industry's 'Chip and PIN' initiative and maintains regular contact with the Association for Payment Clearing Services and the British Retail Consortium (BRC). 'Chip and PIN' involves the introduction of microchips into payment cards to help authentication combined with the introduction of PIN codes in place of signatures. The banking industry anticipates that by 2005, the new Chip and PIN technology will eliminate over half of the predicted level of plastic card fraud in the UK.
	Since my appointment to the Home Office in June I have provided forewords for the two reports on the public trial of 'Chip and PIN' which took place in Northampton between May and August this year. I shall shortly be meeting with APACS and the BRC to receive a progress report on the 'Chip and PIN' project. My right hon. Friend the Member for Southampton, Itchen (Mr. Denham) also discussed the 'Chip and PIN' initiative with the BRC and APACS.
	The Home Office has frequent and regular contact with law enforcement agencies. In addition, in April 2002 the Government launched a two-year pilot of a unique policing unit (the Dedicated Cheque and Plastic Crime UnitDCPCU), which is funded jointly by the Home Office and the card industry. The DCPCU is based in London and works closely with the banking industry to reduce organised card and cheque fraud, using intelligence largely provided by the card industry. DCPCU has had significant success in its first year including recovery of more than 4,000 cards and 524 cheques, resulting in 59 arrests and six convictions with potential savings of 13.35million.

Accommodation Centres

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what Government policy was on abiding by the outcome of a public inquiry on accommodation centres on 5 November 2002; what the policy is now; and when and for what reason it changed.

Beverley Hughes: The Government's policy has not changed. We will abide by the planning process and the outcome of the public inquiry which is a part of it. The outcome of the public inquiry is my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister's decision.

Annual Crime Survey

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with representatives of the British Retail Consortium on its latest Annual Crime Survey.

Hazel Blears: I have not held any discussions with representatives of the British Retail Consortium (BRC) about its latest Annual Crime Survey. I am, however, aware of the regular information that the survey provides. The Home Office has also recently undertaken a Crime against Business survey, covering the retail and manufacturing sectors, in conjunction with Her Majesty's Treasury, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Neighbourhood Renewal Unit and the Small Business Service (an agency of the Department for Trade and Industry). The British Retail Consortium, British Chambers of Commerce, and the Confederation of British Industry have been consulted and closely involved in the survey.
	The Government take the issue of retail crime very seriously and it is one of the main workstreams on business crime that is being progressed by the Business Crime Section in the Home Office. We have provided 15 million over three years to improve the security of small retailers in deprived areas and 12,500 individual businesses will have benefited by the end of this year. We are supporting the development of retail crime partnerships in major town and shopping centres. Home Office officials are also working closely with the BRC and other members of the retail industry in the Retail Strategy Group, set up by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, to address crime problems facing the retail industry in a strategic way.

Anti-social Behaviour

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the links between anti-social behaviour and social exclusion; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The links between anti-social behaviour (ASB) and social exclusion can be examined on two separate levels: (1) links between experience or perceptions of ASB in local areas and social exclusion and (2) links between engaging in ASB and social exclusion.
	In terms of the links between experience or perception of ASB and social exclusion the British Crime Survey (BCS) provides data on people's experience (as a victim) and perception of anti-social behaviour according to respondents' neighbourhood and their current status in terms of employment, skills, income and housing.
	Ellis, C. and Fletcher, G. (2003) 'Antisocial behaviour and disorder'. In C. Flood-Page and J. Taylor (Eds.) Crime in England and Wales 2001/2002: Supplementary Volume. Home Office Statistical Bulletin 01/03. London: Home Officedeposited in the Library. The report indicates that people living in council estates and low-income areas are most likely to perceive local problems of disorder and that the economically inactive, those on low income, the unskilled and social renters are most likely to say that disorder has a great impact on their lives.
	In terms of the links between engaging in ASB and social exclusion see Campbell S. (2002). A review of Anti-social Behaviour Orders. Home Office Research Study No. 236. London: Home Officedeposited in the Library. The review found that where case file information was available, a high proportion of people placed on Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) during the evaluation period had some sort of mitigating factor, e.g. had been evicted from their home or had been excluded from school, which appeared to have contributed to their behaviour. Additional work which has been commissioned and which will examine the link between engaging in ASB and social exclusion:
	A forthcoming evaluation based on research of Acceptable Behaviour Contracts in Islington will look at the social background of families involved in ASB. A new Home Office survey of the general population currently in the field will provide information on offending, anti-social behaviour and victimisation. It will be possible to use England and Wales 2001/2002: Supplementary Volume. Home Office Statistical Bulletin 01/03. London: Home Officedeposited in the Library. The report indicates that people living in council estates and low-income areas are most likely to perceive local problems of disorder and that the economically inactive, those on low income, the unskilled and social renters are most likely to say that disorder has a great impact on their lives. In terms of the links between engaging in ASB and social exclusion see Campbell S. (2002). A review of Anti-social Behaviour Orders. Home Office Research Study No. 236. London: Home Officedeposited in the Library. The review found that where case file information was available, a high proportion of people placed on Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) during the evaluation period had some sort of mitigating factor, e.g. had been evicted from their home or had been excluded from school, which appeared to have contributed to their behaviour. Additional work which has been commissioned and which will examine the link between engaging in ASB and social exclusion:
	A forthcoming evaluation based on research of Acceptable Behaviour Contracts in Islington will look at the social background of families involved in ASB.
	A new Home Office survey of the general population currently in the field will provide information on offending, anti-social behaviour and victimisation. It will be possible to use the survey data to identify links between problems associated with social exclusion and anti-social behaviour.
	Research has been commissioned to determine the predictive indicators of antisocial behaviour at eight age using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). The work will determine whether certain factors associated with social exclusion, e.g. family income, place children at increased risk of engaging in antisocial behaviour.

Anti-terrorism Measures

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will hold an inquiry into how anti-terrorism legislation is performing, with specific reference to the monitoring of police use of that legislation.

David Blunkett: All current anti-terrorism legislationthe Terrorism Act 2000 and the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001is subject to independent review.
	The Terrorism Act 2000 is reviewed annually by an independent reviewer who is currently Lord Carlile of Berriew QC. This is a statutory requirement and a report of his review will be laid before both Houses.
	The powers contained within the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 are currently being reviewed by a committee of nine Privy Counsellors chaired by Lord Newton of Braintree. This is also a statutory requirement and is scheduled to be completed by 13 December this year.
	Both reports will be comprehensive reviews of the operation of the powers under the legislation.
	In addition, where specific concerns arise, I have sought reviews from the relevant force and they in turn have taken appropriate steps to review their own operational procedures.

Anti-terrorism Measures

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps have been taken to establish a closer working relationship between the CPS and the (a) National Crime Squad and (b) Anti-Terrorist Branch of the Metropolitan Police on (i) terrorism and (ii) other international, serious organised crime.

David Blunkett: The already close working between the three organisations is continually being reviewed with a view to improvement. For example, the Crown Prosecution Service's (CPS) Central Casework Unit now becomes involved at the earliest stage of an investigation and provides pre-charge advice to the Anti-Terrorist Branch.
	A more recent development is the completion of a pilot scheme between the National Crime Squad's (NCS) Special Casework Division and the CPS in the preparation of cases concerned with serious and organised crime.
	I understand that this scheme has proved successful for all parties and will be extended further.
	The working arrangements between the CPS, NCS and police and other law enforcement agencies dealing with serious organised crime will be significantly enhanced as a result of the recent establishment by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister at a Cabinet Committee on organised crime chaired by myself.

Asset Recovery Agency

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the work of the Asset Recovery Agency.

Caroline Flint: The Agency is already making an effective contribution towards recovering criminal proceeds. Since the Agency became operational on 24 February 2003, the total value of assets under its investigation exceeds 17million in 33 cases, of which some 10 million is currently frozen under court orders in nine cases, pending hearings for recovery orders. In addition, one tax assessment has been issued under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 for tax in excess of 250,000. The Agency has also provided assistance to law enforcement agencies in 11 confiscation order cases raised under the previous legislation with a total value of 3.25 million.
	The Centre of Excellence in the Assets Recovery Agency has delivered training in the Proceeds of Crime Act to over 1,400 financial investigators in law enforcement agencies. This year it plans to provide enhanced training and accreditation in financial investigation to an additional 350 staff from law enforcement agencies and to 50 staff from other agencies. The Agency has also successfully raised awareness of the new powers in the Act by hosting a series of conferences and presentations; and by the issue of a monthly newsletter which publicises successes in recovering the proceeds of crime.

Asylum Seekers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money Havering borough council was given to deal with asylum seekers in (a) 1997, (b) 2002 and (c) 2003.

Beverley Hughes: The information is not available in the exact format requested. The Home Office assumed responsibility for the budget for adult asylum seekers and their dependants in April 1999 and for unaccompanied asylum seeking children in April 2000. Between 199697 and 199899 the Department of Health was responsible for special grant payments to local authorities to meet the direct costs of providing support. Total spending by the Department of Health for 199697 was 10 million for adults and families and 2 million for children. The total figures for 199798 are 68 million for adults and families and 2 million for children.
	The figures for the grant paid to Havering borough council for the financial years ending 31 March 2002 and 31 March 2003 are as follows:
	
		
		
			 Year to 31 March Adults and families Unaccompanied asylum seeking children 
		
		
			 2002 (55)2,347,950 (55)875,095 
			 2003 (56)1,693,289 (56)493,136 
		
	
	(55) Audited
	(56) Subject to audit.

Asylum Seekers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many asylum applications from people residing in Romford were declined in each year since 1995;
	(2)  how many asylum seekers were sent to live in Havering in each year from 1995 to 2002;
	(3)  how many registered asylum seekers are residing in the Romford constituency;
	(4)  how many claims for asylum were made from people whose address was in Romford during 2002.

Beverley Hughes: The information is not available in the form requested.
	The availability of information on the location of asylum seekers in the UK is currently linked to the support the asylum seeker receives. Asylum seekers in the UK either receive support from the National Asylum Support Service (NASS), local authorities or the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), or are supporting themselves.
	Figures in respect of persons in receipt of accommodation support from NASS (those who have been dispersed or are disbenefited 1 cases) are available by local authority as at the end of each Quarter since December 2002. Figures for Havering show that for the quarters ending December 2002, March 2003 and June 2003 only one or two people were in receipt of NASS accommodation support.
	Information in respect of the number of asylum seekers by constituency area, number of asylum applications by area of residence and refusals of asylum by area of residence are not currently published.
	1 Disbenefited cases are cases which were previously supported under the main UK benefits system and have been moved onto NASS support. Some of these cases have remained in the original social services accommodation.

Asylum Seekers

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers have been (a) found guilty of committing crimes carrying a custodial sentence, (b) released and given leave to remain in the country and (c) deported after release in each year since 1997.

Beverley Hughes: The information requested on the number of asylum applicants found guilty of crimes subject to a custodial sentence, and for those who were granted leave to remain or who were deported after release from such sentences, is not available.
	We take very seriously any criminal or anti-social acts committed by asylum seekers. Although there is no evidence to suggest that asylum seekers are disproportionately likely to commit crime, we have taken powers in the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 to prevent serious criminals using the protection of the 1951 Refugee Convention. We will seek to remove such criminals from the United Kingdom wherever possible.

Asylum Seekers

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum applications had been awaiting an initial decision for more than (a) six months and (b) 12 months at the latest date for which figures are available.

Beverley Hughes: As at the end of June 2003 (the latest date for which published figures are available), the estimated number of asylum applications awaiting an initial decision for more than six months was 22,900. Of these an estimated 15,700 cases had been awaiting an initial decision for more than 12 months. These figures include cases that are currently under consideration.
	Provisional data show that 74 per cent. of applications (excluding withdrawals and third country cases) received in 200203 were decided and served within two months. This exceeded the Government's target of 65 per cent. for 200203, and was a significant increase on the corresponding figure of 61 per cent. for 200102.
	Information on the number of asylum applications outstanding and the timeliness of initial decisions is published quarterly on the Home Office website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

Asylum Seekers

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his Department's latest estimate is of the number of asylum applicants in the UK without any official financial support.

Beverley Hughes: The requested information is not available.
	It is estimated that during 2002, around 73 per cent. of asylum seekers eligible for National Asylum Support Service (NASS) support chose to apply, with the remainder supporting themselves.
	Statistics on the number of asylum seekers who are supported by NASS are available on the Home Office's Immigration and Asylum Statistics website: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

Asylum Seekers

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of asylum applications in each of the last six years was decided within two months.

Beverley Hughes: Provisional data show that 74 per cent. of substantive applications (excluding withdrawals and 3rd country cases 1 ) received in 200203 were decided and served within two months. This exceeded the Government's target of 65 per cent. for 200203, and was a significant increase on the corresponding figure of 61 per cent. for 200102 which was achieved against the then target of 60 per cent. Corresponding data for previous years is not available and could be produced only at disproportionate cost.
	Information on the timeliness of initial decisions is published quarterly on the Home Office website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
	1 Cases which may be the responsibility of other EU member states under the Dublin Convention.

Asylum Seekers

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether a decision has been made on the asylum application of Dr. Boris Berezovsky; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 18 September 2003
	Dr. Berezovsky was granted asylum in the United Kingdom on 10 September 2003. It would be inappropriate to make any further statement on this matter.

Asylum Seekers

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on asylum applications lodged by an individual after extradition proceedings have begun against that individual.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 18 September 2003
	An asylum application made by an individual who is the subject of extradition proceedings initiated by the authorities in their country of origin would be considered in accordance with the standard criteria for assessing such applications. This would include consideration of whether information contained in the extradition request provided grounds for excluding the individual from the protection of the Refugee Convention. A decision would be taken as quickly as possible. We would not return to a state requesting extradition an individual who has an outstanding asylum application against return to that state.

Asylum Seekers

Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when Mr. G. Qosja, reference Q1006624, will receive confirmation of the result of his appeal hearing in October 2002; and what the reasons are for the delay.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 18 September 2003
	I wrote to the hon. Member on 24 September 2003.

Asylum Seekers

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers have been issued with application registration cards since October 2001.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 18 September 2003
	Up to the end of August 2003, approximately 150,000 Application Registration Cards had been issued. The Application Registration Card (ARC) was first issued on 31 January 2002.

Asylum Seekers

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when a standard acknowledgement letter was last issued to an asylum applicant.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 18 September 2003
	The Government are committed to ensuring that all asylum seekers and dependants are issued with Application Registration Cards. Consequently, there are on-going measures to ensure that Standard Acknowledgement Letters, which have been issued to asylum seekers, are replaced with Application Registration Cards.
	No statistics are held showing when Standard Acknowledgement Letters have been issued.

Asylum Seekers

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the report on the provision of policing in the event of the Daedalus site at Lee-on-the-Solent being used as an accommodation centre for asylum seekers.

Beverley Hughes: The Home Office has not commissioned any such report.

Asylum Seekers

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the application by Nataliya Peacock, reference P1062430, for indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom made on 13 December 2002, will be decided; and what the reasons are for the delay.

Beverley Hughes: Mrs. Peacock will receive a decision within four weeks.

Asylum Seekers

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of the total number of failed asylum seekers was represented by those removed in (a) 200102 and (b) 200203.

Beverley Hughes: Including dependants, there were 11,600 asylum removals in 200102 and a record 14,400 asylum removals in 200203. The numbers of asylum removals continued to rise in April-June (Q2) 2003 to a record quarterly total of 4,280. These figures include removals relating to applications made in earlier years.
	The information requested is not readily available and could be produced only at disproportionate cost.

Business Insurance Premiums

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the estimated financial cost in terms of higher insurance premiums for businesses was in each of the last three years as a result of crime.

Hazel Blears: The Government does not make any estimates of the increase in insurance premia for business as a result of crime. The Association of British Insurers (ABI) publishes annual information in their Insurance Statistics Yearbook on trends in total premium income but this does not identify the overall impact of crime on insurance premiums.
	The Home Office has published estimates of the economic and social costs of crime (Home Office Research Study 217). This study includes the cost of insurance administration, that is the resources used in administering and processing premiums and claims, based on information in the ABI Yearbook. The study estimates the total cost to society of insurance administration in England and Wales in 19992000 was 200 million for crime against the commercial and public sectors.

CCTV

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on the installation by private individuals on their property of CCTV cameras to monitor public areas.

Hazel Blears: While the Home Office supports the installation by private individuals of CCTV cameras, and other appropriate security measures, to protect their property, we do not support the installation by private individuals of cameras that monitor or overlook public areas.

Chemical Agents

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which chemical agents are deployed for law enforcement and riot control purposes in the UK; what delivery devices are used; how much of each agent has been deployed in the last 12 months; and which institutions have received the agents.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 11 September 2003
	CS is currently the only chemical irritant authorised for use by police forces in the UK. The CS is available in a number of different delivery systems.
	The Police Service retains a tactical option to use CS agents to disperse a riotous assembly in life-threatening situations; subject to prior authorisation by the relevant chief officer. The CS is pyrotechnically discharged in the form of a cloud of smoke from a hand-thrown or weapon-launched grenade. The option has only been used once in a public disorder situation in Toxteth, Liverpool, in 1981. A small stock of such devices is retained by some forces.
	CS in the form of an incapacitant spray is also issued to individual officers by the majority of police forces in the UK as a piece of personal defensive equipment for routine carriage. The method of delivery of CS in this case is by a discriminate aerosol spray with a range of up to four metres. Recording of the use of the spray is the responsibility of each individual force.
	CS is also available to police forces in the form of 'barricade penetrating rounds' fired from a shotgun. These rounds rapidly disperse micronised CS in a cloud form within enclosed premises; the tactic is used, in extremis, to create a distraction or to encourage individuals to leave the premises. The rounds are only deployed on the authority of a senior officer for use by specially trained firearms officers in firearms/siege type situations.

Child Abuse

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to tackle child pornography on the internet.

Paul Goggins: The Government are committed to tackling child pornography on the internet. We are determined to ensure that there are effective measures to combat this exploitation of children. In January 2001, we raised the maximum penalties for taking, making, distributing or showing indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children to 10 years (from three years), and the maximum penalty for simple possession of such material to five years (from six months). There are proposals in the Sexual Offences Bill currently before Parliament that these offences should apply to photographs and pseudo-photographs of children up to the age of 18.
	We have made substantial investment in law enforcement to enhance the capability of the police to investigate serious and organised crime committed via computers or computer networks, such as the internet. In April 2001, the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit was established, within the National Crime Squad, to investigate or support the investigation of such serious criminal activity, including the production and distribution of child pornography.
	In March 2001, the then Home Secretary established a Task Force on Child Protection on the Internet. The Task Force includes representatives from internet service and communication providers, PC and software retailers and manufacturers, child welfare organisations, the main opposition parties, law enforcement agencies and academics. The Task Force has brought forward proposals for legislation to tackle paedophile 'grooming' activity on and off-line. In addition, sub-groups of the Task Force are looking at a range of issues including the evaluation of rating and filtering systems, and the impact of 3G mobile telephones.
	Officials and members of the Taskforce have also produced a single document covering separate models of good practice relating to chat services, instant messaging and web services, which was published on 6 January 2003. We consider that these models are a significant step forward in making the internet a safer place for children. We will be reviewing the models and their impact in the near future.
	Internationally, the Government actively support efforts within the European Union, and more widely, to combat child pornography on the internet. In November 2001, we signed April 2001, the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit was established, within the National Crime Squad, to investigate or support the investigation of such serious criminal activity, including the production and distribution of child pornography.

Child Abuse

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he has given to law enforcement agencies on combating child prostitution.

Paul Goggins: It is a tragedy for any child to become involved in prostitution. Children involved in prostitution are primarily victims of abuse and adults who take advantage of them, whether by exploiting them as pimps or by buying sexual services from them, are child abusers.
	The Government issued guidance for law enforcement agencies and other agencies working with children entitled Safeguarding Children in Prostitution in May 2000. This was followed by The National Plan for Safeguarding Children from Commercial Sexual Exploitation, which was published in September 2001.
	The key message of both documents is that those under 18 who engage in prostitution are almost invariably victims and must be treated as such. A further key message is that wherever possible criminal justice action should be pursued against those who abuse children through prostitution or seek to exploit them as prostitutes.
	The Sexual Offences Bill currently before Parliament proposes new offences to tackle the sexual exploitation of children, which will carry severe penalties. The proposals cover the exploitative and abusive activities associated with child prostitution and the involvement of children in pornography.
	The Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 introduces a new offence of trafficking persons to control them in prostitution. This offence carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison. The Sexual Offences Bill includes more comprehensive trafficking legislation to re-enact and replace these provisions, again carrying a maximum penalties of 14 years imprisonment. We have also developed and published a 'toolkit' on victims of trafficking, which is a guide for immigration officers, police and others potentially dealing with trafficking victims. We hope that the toolkit will raise awareness of the difference between trafficking and smuggling, and help them to treat trafficking victims fairly.

Child Abuse

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans his Department has to criminalise all forms of child trafficking in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The UK is committed to tackling the trafficking of children for sexual exploitation. Our strategy on trafficking is set out in the White Paper Secure Border Safe Haven and focuses on strengthening the law through new offences covering trafficking; providing appropriate support to victims of trafficking in the UK; tackling the criminals through intelligence and enforcement operations through the Reflex taskforce; EU co-operation and prevention in source and transit countries in partnership with Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Department for International Development (DFID).
	The new Sexual Offences Bill sets out new wide-ranging offences covering trafficking for sexual exploitation to replace the stop-gap offence of trafficking for the purpose of prostitution, introduced in the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002. The offence of trafficking for sexual exploitation carries a tough maximum penalty of 14 years. In addition to this, the Bill also introduces a new offence of commercial sexual exploitation of a child, which will protect children up to 18. It covers a range of offences, including buying the sexual services of a child, (for which the penalty ranges from seven years to life depending on the age of the child); and causing, facilitating or controlling the commercial sexual exploitation of a child in prostitution or pornography, for which the maximum penalty will be 14 years imprisonment.

Citizenship Applications

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for UK citizenship have been determined in the last 12 months; and what the mean average time taken from receipt of the application until its determination was.

Beverley Hughes: 129,535 applications for UK citizenship were determined in the United Kingdom in 2002, of which 120,145 applications were granted and 9,385 were refused. This is the latest information available and figures are rounded to the nearest five.
	There are no data published on actual decision times to determine applications for British citizenship. Information on expected waiting times for citizenship applications are available on the Immigration and Nationality Directorate website; www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk and is periodically updated. As at July 2003 the expected average processing times were:
	
		
			  Months 
		
		
			 Naturalisation 8.8 
			 Adult registrations 3.5 
			 Minor registrations 8 
			 Other registrations 2.3 
		
	
	However, this time may be significantly reduced if all relevant documents are sent with the application form.

Citizenship Applications

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the application for UK citizenship from Mr. Grieve of Fordingbridge was first received by his Department; when the application will be determined; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The application was received on 18 May 2000. The application has necessitated extensive inquiries which we expect to finalise shortly.

Civil Service

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many jobs under the remit of his Department in (a) the core Department, (b) non-departmental public bodies, (c) executive agencies and (d) independent statutory bodies, organisations and bodies financially sponsored by his Department and other such organisations, are located in (i) Scotland, (ii) England, excluding Greater London, (iii) Greater London, (iv) Wales, (v) Northern Ireland and (vi) overseas, broken down by (A) whole-time equivalent jobs and (B) the percentage per individual Department, body or organisation; and with respect to core Department jobs, if he will provide a breakdown of the number of jobs in terms of responsibilities which apply to (a) England only, (b) England and Wales and (c) the United Kingdom as a whole.

Fiona Mactaggart: The figures received in respect of the bodies under (b) and (d) are in the table which has been placed in the Library. Table D of the annual publication Civil Service Statistics contains the information requested in (a) and (c). The latest edition was based on April 2002 data and was published on 24 July 2003; alternatively, this information is available at the following address on the Cabinet Office website: http://www.civil-service.gov.uk/statistics/css.htm.

Class A Drugs

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of people under the age of 25 years reported the use of Class A drugs in each of the last six years.

Caroline Flint: The British Crime Survey estimates last year use of Class A drugs by 16 to 24-year-olds since 1996 as being:
	
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 1996 9 
			 1998 9 
			 2000 10 
			 200102 9 
		
	
	Note:
	From 200102, the BCS reporting period moved to financial years
	However, none of these changes are statistically significant. Class A drug use has therefore been stable between 1996 and 200102. Data for 200203 will be published later in the year.
	The 'Smoking, drinking and drug use among young people in England in 2002' survey estimates last year Class A drug use among 11 to 15-year-olds since 1998 as being:
	
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 1998 3 
			 1999 2 
			 2000 4 
			 2001 4 
			 2002 4 
		
	
	A revised method for measuring the prevalence of drug use was introduced in 2001. Therefore, estimates used in 2001 and 2002 are not strictly comparable with results from previous sweeps.

Commercial Confidentiality

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on the application of the principle of commercial confidentiality in relation to the disclosure of information to inquiries which he has instigated.

David Blunkett: My Department's policy in relation to the disclosure of information is to adhere to the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information and the principles of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, which becomes fully applicable from January 2005.
	My Department is committed to the principles of open government and information will be disclosed in the public interest unless there are overriding commercial reasons (or legal constraints) not to disclose as allowed for under the exemptions described in the Code.

Community Support Officers

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many community support officers (a) there were in 200203 and (b) there are in 200304 in each police authority in England and Wales.

Hazel Blears: Home Office funding enabled 27 police forces to recruit a total of 1,222 Community Support Officers (CSOs) by the end of 200203. There was a second opportunity to bid for funds earlier this year and the allocation from this will enable 36 forces to recruit a further 1,234 CSOs in 200304. The numbers recruited and deployed in the first year and allocated to forces in this year are as follows:
	
		
			 Police force 200203 200304 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 12 30 
			 Bedfordshire 0 12 
			 Cambridgeshire 6 40 
			 Cheshire 6 15 
			 Cleveland 40 20 
			 Devon and Cornwall 20 35 
			 Dorset 7 0 
			 Durham 10 25 
			 Dyfed-Powys 0 5 
			 Essex 10 45 
			 Gloucestershire 0 30 
			 Greater Manchester 160 25 
			 Gwent 30 20 
			 Hertfordshire 14 24 
			 Kent 18 45 
			 Lancashire 72 35 
			 Leicestershire 28 17 
			 Lincolnshire 32 10 
			 Merseyside 40 60 
			 Metropolitan police 499 250 
			 Norfolk 12 18 
			 Northamptonshire 12 0 
			 North Wales 0 8 
			 North Yorkshire 0 30 
			 Northumbria 0 45 
			 Nottinghamshire 10 35 
			 South Wales 0 50 
			 South Yorkshire 14 28 
			 Staffordshire 0 10 
			 Suffolk 0 15 
			 Surrey 52 11 
			 Sussex 22 40 
			 Thames Valley 0 8 
			 Warwickshire 11 13 
			 West Mercia 10 30 
			 West Midlands 0 40 
			 West Yorkshire 60 100 
			 Wiltshire 15 10 
			  1,222 1,234 
		
	
	128 of the CSOs allocated in round 2 are already trained and deployed and a further 77 are under training. In addition there are 174 non Home Office funded CSOs on the streets making a total of 1,601 CSOs in England and Wales.

Confiscated Assets

Tom Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals have been the subject of confiscation orders under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

Caroline Flint: The confiscation powers in the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 are triggered by offences committed after the provisions were brought into force on 24 March 2003, so it will be some time before confiscation cases are dealt with by the Crown Court in numbers. To date, two convicted offenders have been made the subject of confiscation orders under the Act in England and Wales with a total value of 53,000.

Coroners

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when it is expected that there will be further action on the recommendations of the Home Office Review of Coroners and Death Certification.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 16 September 2003
	We are considering the recommendations of the Report of a Fundamental Review 2003Death Certification and Investigation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, published on 4 June, alongside those in the Third Report of the Shipman Inquiry on death certification and death investigation, which was published on 14 July. As I announced on 4 June, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has asked the Chair of the Review, Mr. Tom Luce, to undertake some further work to link the Review's recommendations to the relevant findings of the Shipman Inquiry. We expect this work to be completed later in the autumn.

Corporate Manslaughter

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many representations he has received since 1 March in support of the introduction of a corporate manslaughter charge; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: We have received in excess of 50 letters on corporate killing since 1 March 2003. The vast majority of these supported the introduction of new measures to reform the law on corporate manslaughter.
	I also refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Castle Point (Bob Spink) on 23 June 2003, Official Report, column 596W. These organisations are also supportive of our proposal to reform the law in this area. Officials will be holding a number of meetings with key external stakeholders to inform the development of proposals for legislation on corporate killing. As announced on 20 May 2003, these will be published before the end of the year.

Correspondence

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the hon. Member for Bolton South-East to the letter on behalf of Befriending Refugees and Asylum Seekers of 28 February.

Beverley Hughes: My hon. Friend the Member for Slough (Fiona Mactaggart) wrote to my hon. Friend on 9 September 2003.

Correspondence

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the ARDG Central Allocation Team of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Totnes of 14 July regarding Mrs. John Lewis of Dartmouth, South Devon; and what the reasons are for the delay in replying.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 18 September 2003
	I wrote to the hon. Member on 29 September 2003.

Correspondence

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter of 27 May 2003 from the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood regarding Singobile Lunga, H.O. Ref L1047295, a constituent.

Beverley Hughes: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 23 September 2003.

Crime Costs

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the estimated cost of crime, in money terms, in each of the last six years was.

Hazel Blears: The Home Office made estimates of the economic and social cost of crime in England and Wales in 19992000. Estimates were published in Home Office Research Study 217 (HORS 217), The economic and social costs of crime. This study estimated that, in England and Wales in 19992000, the cost of crimes against individuals was 32.2 billion, against businesses and public sector was 9.1 billion, of fraud and forgery was 13.8 billion, and of traffic and other non-notifiable offences was 4.8 billion. Figures for other years are not currently available.

Crime Statistics

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the differences are in the criteria by which an offence is considered to be (a) cleared up and (b) brought to justice.

Hazel Blears: The term cleared up is used when an individual has been charged, cautioned, reprimanded, or received a final warning for a notifiable offence or offences in relation to a crime, or when such an offence has been accepted for consideration in court. A crime may also be counted as cleared up when no further action is taken on an offence for one of the following reasons:
	the offender, victim or an essential witness is dead or too ill;
	the victim refuses or is unable to give evidence;
	the offender is under the age of criminal responsibility;
	the Police or Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decide that no useful purpose would be served by proceeding; or
	the time limit of six months for commencing prosecution, where applicable, has been exceeded.
	A notifiable offence is considered to have been brought to justice if the outcome is a conviction, caution, Penalty Notice for Disorder, or it is taken into consideration at court.

Crime Statistics

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many shoplifting offences were committed in Romford in (a) 2002 and (b) each of the last 10 years.

Paul Goggins: The available information is contained in the table:
	
		Persons(57) aged 1017 and 1820 convicted in the Petty Sessional Area of Havering(58), 19922001
		
			  Persons aged 1017 Persons aged 1820 All young offenders 
		
		
			 1992 178 505 683 
			 1993 171 609 780 
			 1994 156 480 636 
			 1995 N/a N/a N/a 
			 1996 201 518 719 
			 1997 252 481 733 
			 1998 292 409 701 
			 1999 269 473 742 
			 2000 222 466 688 
			 2001 286 481 767 
		
	
	(57) A person convicted on more than one occasion during a year will be counted separately on each occasion.
	(58) Court sits at Romford. Figures include those convicted at the Crown Court, having been committed for trial from Havering PSA.
	Statistics for 2002 will be available in December.

Juvenile Offenders

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 8 July 2003, Official Report, column 724W, on juvenile prisoners, what plans he has to move all 17-year-old females out of Prison Service custody.

Paul Goggins: We are determined to minimise the number of juvenile girls mixing with adult prisoners. We are currently setting up a new, separate juvenile unit at Downview, to end placements in Holloway. Given the numbers and geographical spread, complete separation across England and Wales is not simple, but we are looking at how further improvements can be made.

Juvenile Offenders

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with the Metropolitan Police Force in the London borough of Havering with regard to young offenders.

Hazel Blears: I have regular bilateral meetings with the Commissioner which cover the whole of the Metropolitan police area. The Youth Offending Team (YOT) in Havering was the first in London to be managed by a serving officer from the Metropolitan police and is one of the best performing YOTs in London, according to the tables of performance compiled by the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales.
	It forms part of a consortium of YOTs which run the East London Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme for persistent young offenders. With support from the Children's Fund, Havering is also developing a Youth Inclusion and Support Programme which will aim to identify young people at risk of offending and provide a series of early intervention measures to address this risk.

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the CCRC received in Grant Aid in the year ending 31 March 2003.

Paul Goggins: In the year ending 31 March 2003, the Commission received 7 million in Grant Aid.

Criminal Enterprises

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what additional steps he is taking to ensure that the target to disrupt 10 per cent. more organised criminal enterprises by 2004 is met.

Hazel Blears: The target of disrupting 10 per cent. more organised criminal groups by 2004 set against a 200001 baseline was met in 200102. In 200203 there was a 3.4 per cent. increase in disruptions on 200102.

Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are employed by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority.

Paul Goggins: The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority has a complement of 554 posts. At the end of July 2003, 496.5 of these posts were filled by staff on secondment from the Authority's sponsoring organisations, the Home Office and the Scottish Executive. A further 37 posts were filled by agency and casual staff.

Criminal Justice Boards (Targets)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the proposed timelines and targets set by each local Criminal Justice Board for the reduction of the time from arrest to sentence.

Paul Goggins: All Local Criminal Justice Boards are expected to continue to work towards meeting and maintaining the Government's objective to halve the average time from arrest to sentence for persistent young offenders in England and Wales from 142 days (1996) to 71 days. The average time from arrest to sentence for persistent young offenders in England and Wales was 64 days for the second quarter of 2003the eighth consecutive quarter at or below the 71 day target. Current Persistent Young Offenders (PYO) performance for each Local Criminal Justice Board is set out in the table (Table A) and further details are available at www.youth-justice-board.gov. uk/PractitionersPostal/PracticeAnd Performance/Performance.
	Locally, since April 2003 when the Boards were formally established, each Board has set itself individual adult and youth targets for improving general timeliness in the magistrates courts, with separate Crown court targets for different types of cases. These have been set in the context of the overall delivery of the Criminal Justice Systems (CJS's) Public Service Agreements and in the magistrates courts are expressed in terms of charge to completion. Targets for each area are set out in the table (Table B). Performance data from April-June 2003, is due to be published in October 2003.
	
		Table A -- AprilJune 2003
		
			 Force AS Number of cases 
		
		
			 National 64 6,296 
			 Avon and Somerset 61 108 
			 Bedfordshire 44 27 
			 Cambridgeshire 43 82 
			 Cheshire 55 95 
			 Cleveland 57 88 
			 Cumbria 53 93 
			 Derbyshire 91 90 
			 Devon and Cornwall 48 120 
			 Dorset 76 58 
			 Durham 60 102 
			 Dyfed-Powys 31 51 
			 Essex 79 94 
			 Gloucestershire 40 41 
			 Greater Manchester 67 474 
			 Gwent 64 78 
			 Hampshire 65 314 
			 Hertfordshire 49 58 
			 Humberside 89 130 
			 Kent 67 189 
			 Lancashire 52 240 
			 Leicestershire 66 106 
			 Lincolnshire 79 78 
			 Merseyside 89 257 
			 Metropolitan 75 453 
			 Norfolk 70 72 
			 North Wales 43 110 
			 North Yorkshire 76 79 
			 Northamptonshire 68 71 
			 Northumbria 70 384 
			 Nottinghamshire 59 150 
			 South Wales 63 259 
			 South Yorkshire 73 164 
			 Staffordshire 46 147 
			 Suffolk 40 91 
			 Surrey 74 48 
			 Sussex 55 121 
			 Thames Valley 64 147 
			 Warwickshire 43 41 
			 West Mercia 59 129 
			 West Midlands 51 436 
			 West Yorkshire 65 331 
			 Wiltshire 68 36 
			 British Transport Police 75 54 
		
	
	Note:
	This table shows the latest available PYO arrest-to-sentence figures for each Criminal Justice Area.
	
		Table B
		
			   Magistrates court Crown court 
			   Adult Youth  
			 TARGETS 2003/04 PYO Initial Guilty Plea Trials Committals Initial Guilty Plea Trials Committals Committal for trial (%) Sent for trial (%) Committal for sentence (%) Sent for appeal (%) 
		
		
			 England and Wales 71   
			 Avon and Somerset 71 57 142 84 54 121 95 (59) (59) (59) (59) 
			 Bedfordshire 71 36 175 86 49 121 85 78 78 78 78 
			 Cambridgeshire 71 49 145 86 49 119 85 78 78 78 78 
			 Cheshire 71 46 123 98 41 108 98 78 78 78 78 
			 Cleveland 71 50 141 86 49 99 85 80 80 80 80 
			 Cumbria 71 42 112 84 42 98 70 (59) (59) (59) (59) 
			 Derbyshire 71 54 130 102 56 140 98 82 85 92 93 
			 Devon and Cornwall 71 40 128 76 46 121 92 78 78 78 78 
			 Dorset 71 48 182 86 46 112 68 78 78 78 78 
			 Durham 71 37 111 90 24 85 55 78 78 78 78 
			 Dyfed Powys 71 38 126 72 44 78 85 78 78 78 78 
			 Essex 71 50 127 86 40 106 76 78 78 78 78 
			 Gloucestershire 71 50 140 85 45 110 80 80 85 90 90 
			 Greater Manchester 71 42 136 84 49 121 85 62 72 80 85 
			 Gwent 71 (59) (59) (59) 49 121 85 78 78 78 78 
			 Hampshire 71 35 148 69 42 115 83 78 78 78 78 
			 Hertfordshire 71 45 145 86 44 121 62 78 78 78 78 
			 Humberside 71 50 150 85 49 120 85 (59) (59) (59) (59) 
			 Kent 71 40 140 80 40 115 80 (59) (59) (59) (59) 
			 Lancashire 71 50 145 86 49 121 85 70 78 80 85 
			 Leicestershire 71 41 130 84 47 108 69 78 78 78 78 
			 Lincolnshire 71 47 145 86 49 121 58 78 78 78 78 
			 London 71 47 145 65 49 121 77 78 78 78 78 
			 Merseyside 71 52 140 80 40 110 80 81 83 91 96 
			 Norfolk 71 38 110 62 37 98 70 78 78 78 78 
			 Northamptonshire 71 50 145 86 49 121 62 78 78 78 78 
			 Northumbria 71 28 112 84 28 112 70 (59) (59) (59) (59) 
			 North Wales 71 36 104 90 45 102 67 90 92 90 93 
			 North Yorkshire 71 42 130 86 42 90 72 78 78 78 78 
			 Nottinghamshire 71 49 144 69 48 114 84 78 78 78 78 
			 South Wales 71 50 128 84 42 92 60 78 78 78 78 
			 South Yorkshire 71 54 138 98 57 117 102 78 78 78 78 
			 Staffordshire 71 50 129 86 44 90 85 78 78 78 78 
			 Suffolk 71 50 142 71 49 101 78 78 78 78 78 
			 Surrey 71 45 140 86 44 100 45 78 78 78 78 
			 Sussex 71 50 145 86 41 121 82 (59) (59) (59) (59) 
			 Thames Valley 71 50 145 86 46 109 85 (59) (59) (59) (59) 
			 Warwickshire 71 50 117 85 46 99 85 78 78 78 78 
			 West Mercia 71 42 155 125 45 118 85 78 78 78 78 
			 West Midlands 71 42 112 70 42 112 70 78 78 78 78 
			 West Yorkshire 71 48 128 84 45 116 84 78 78 78 78 
			 Wiltshire 71 47 120 108 42 98 0 78 78 78 78 
		
	
	(59) denotes no area target set
	Notes:
	Persistent Young OffendersTargets are based on average time in days from arrest to sentence
	Timeliness in Magistrates courtsTargets are based on 80 per cent. of defendants charged with crime to be dealt within the number of days shown from charge to disposal.
	Timeliness in Crown courtsTargets are the percentage of defendants to be dealt with within National Targets from committal to first hearing
	Crown Court National targets are: Committals for trial, 16 weeks; Sent for trial cases, 26 weeks; Committals for sentence, 10 weeks; Appeals, 14 weeks
	These figures have been updated recently and may differ slightly from previously published figures
	Awaiting clarification from Gwent on Adult timeliness targets

Criminal Justice System

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons the proportion of victims very or fairly satisfied with their treatment by the criminal justice system changed between 2000 and 2002.

Paul Goggins: The proportion of victims satisfied with their treatment by the criminal justice system has remained at around 58 per cent. since 2000, although this year's figure has shown a small rise, to 59 per cent.
	We recognise that there is more to do to improve support and services for victims, and to ensure that their interests are fully taken into account at every stage of the criminal justice process. We detailed our plans in the national strategy for victims and witnesses, published in July. Among the proposals highlighted in the strategy was new legislation, to be brought forward as soon as Parliamentary time allows, which will include the first statutory Code of Practice for victims. The Code will list the minimum services which criminal justice agencies should deliver, and give victims the right of complaint to the Parliamentary Ombudsman if they are not received.

Criminal Records Bureau

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many criminal records checks have been carried out on staff employed by a (a) domiciliary care agency and (b) nursing agency, which have resulted in a criminal records certificate not being issued since the introduction of Criminal Records Bureau checks;
	(2)  how many criminal records checks have been carried out on staff employed by a (a) domiciliary care agency and (b) nurses agency who seek work in care homes since the introduction of Criminal Records Bureau checks;
	(3)  what the average time taken is to process a criminal record check on a (a) domiciliary care agency employee and (b) nursing agency employee in cases (i) when a criminal records certificate is issued with no further investigation or problems arising, (ii) when further investigations are necessary before a criminal records certificate can be issued and (iii) when further investigations were necessary and it was consequently determined that a criminal records certificate would not be issued.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 17 September 2003
	The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) issues a Disclosure against all applications received, regardless of the information contained in it, except where the application has been withdrawn at the request of the registered body or applicant. I am unable to provide data on the average time taken to process CRB checks, broken down by category of worker or when further investigation has been required as there are no information technology procedures at present to extract these data from the CRB database.
	However, I can confirm that the average turnaround times for Standard and Enhanced Disclosures across all business sectors is 24 days. Service turnaround times for Standard and Enhanced continue to exceed the CRB target of 90 per cent. of Standard Disclosures within two weeks and 90 per cent. of Enhanced Disclosures within four weeks. The CRB expects to process the checks for new care home workers within this service standard. In July 2003, the average turnaround was 93.1 per cent. for Standard Disclosures and 93.5 per cent. for Enhanced Disclosures. Over the last four weeks output has exceeded intake: 142,932 applications have been received and 145,117 have been issued. Since 11 March 2002 the Criminal Records Bureau has issued over 2,364,312 Disclosures.

Criminal Records Bureau

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the total costs imposed on the voluntary sector in 200304 by (a) Criminal Records Bureau changes in respect of volunteers, (b) registration fees imposed under the Care Standards Act 2000 and (c) medical checks required by legislation.

Paul Goggins: The information is as follows:
	(a) My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary announced in February 2001 that criminal record checks for volunteers would be conducted free of charge by the Criminal Records Bureau. There has been no change to that policy and checks remain free for volunteers.
	(b) The Department of Health consulted the National Care Standards Commission (NCSC), which is the independent regulator of care services. The NCSC does not identify the voluntary sector payments separate from payments made by the statutory and private providers of care services. It is therefore not possible to provide separate figures for the voluntary sector.
	(c) The Department of Health has informed us that as far as they are aware, there are no medical checks, as such, required by legislation. There are requirements in the various care regulations that providers, managers and staff must be physically and mentally fit for the purpose of the work they are to do. However, the regulations do not specify how these people are to prove they are fit. It is for the NCSC to decide whether the evidence of fitness is satisfactory.

Detained Persons

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the time needed to conclude the investigative process and charge a detained person.

Hazel Blears: The Report of the joint Cabinet Office/Home Office Review of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/docs/pacereview2002.pdf) published in November 2002 recommended that the existing maximum detention period of 24 hours without charge for an arrestable offence was insufficient and should be extended to 36 hours. The police provided the Review with supporting evidence on difficulties associated with the 24-hour detention period. The extended period would enable investigations being completed more effectively and avoid the investigative process to be rushed to the detriment of either the suspect or the criminal justice system or both. The provision is included at Clause 5 to the Criminal Justice Bill currently before Parliament.

DNA Database

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the size of the DNA database in each of the last five years.

Hazel Blears: The DNA Database consists of records of both subject sample (offenders) profiles and profiles obtained from crime scene stains. In addition records are removed from the database. It is not possible toprovide information about the size of the database in each of the last five years as information about the number of deleted records has not been collected annually.
	As at 31 August 2003 the database held 2,148,611 records.

Domestic Burglary

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what additional steps he is taking to ensure that the target to reduce domestic burglary by 25 per cent. by 2005 is met.

Hazel Blears: We have already made significant progress towards meeting our target of reducing domestic burglary by 25 per cent. between 1999 and 2005. Figures published in the most recent British Crime Survey (BCS) show that there has been a 23 per cent. reduction in burglary since 1999.
	We recognise the importance of driving down burglary still further, and a wide range of work is in progress to this end. Some initiatives are continuing from previous years. For example:
	All police authorities have agreed targets for reducing domestic burglary by 2005. The Police Standards Unit is working with police forces to help them meet these targets and is offering specific support to those forces at greatest risk of not meeting their burglary targets.
	Minimum sentences of three years have been introduced for those convicted of burglary on a third separate occasion.
	Targets for reducing burglary are included in over 80 per cent. of the strategies developed by the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships.
	Stretched burglary targets have been included in over one third of Local Public Service Agreements (LPSAs) between local authorities and central Government.
	Work is continuing with universities, student unions, the police and other relevant agencies to reduce crime against students.
	We are working with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) on an Approved Code of Practice for landlords, which will promote better standards of security in Houses in Multiple Occupancy (HIMOS) and improve landlord management practices.
	Initiatives taken forward for the first time during 2003 include:
	Developing a targeted publicity campaign in conjunction with brand partners to reinforce burglary prevention messages targeted at specific at-risk groups such as holidaymakers and home-movers.
	Developing a strategy for reducing the market for stolen goods.
	Through the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Burglary Working Group, producing a Good Practice and Tactical Options Guide.
	In addition, several other programmes of work are under way that will impact on a range of crimes, including burglary. Such programmes include Narrowing the Justice Gap, reducing re-offending and our anti-drugs strategy.

Domestic Violence

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice and assistance he gives to local authorities to help them deal with cases of domestic violence.

Hazel Blears: The Crime Reduction Programme (CRP) Violence against Women Initiative (VAWI) is an evidence-based programme to find out which approaches and practices are effective in supporting victims of domestic violence. In July 2000, some 34 multi-agency victims focused projects were commissioned and independently evaluated. The main findings are due to be published in early 2004. In addition, a series of concise reports, which will be aimed at promoting good practice to a range of practitioners, will start to become available from the end of 2003. These guides will help local authorities and others improve the way in which they deal with domestic violence cases.
	In addition, a significant portion of the 14 million funding package announced in February this year will go towards assisting Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships, in which local authorities are a key partner, to improve their performance in tackling domestic violence over the next three years. Another portion of that funding is being used to fund a three-year project by the Local Government Association aimed at supporting local authorities in tackling domestic violence.

Domestic Violence

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to improve the collection of data on domestic violence.

Hazel Blears: There is a Crime Reduction Programme (CRP) Violence Against Women project looking at data collection and we will be producing guidance on data collection arising out of the evaluation of that project.
	The Policing Performance Assessment Framework, which is currently being developed, will examine the police's current data collection in its work to develop meaningful indicators to measure police performance.

Domestic Violence

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will institute a national policy to ensure consistency in the way that police forces deal with the perpetrators of domestic violence; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: Home Office circular 19/2000 gives guidance on police handling cases of domestic violence.
	The National Centre for Policing Excellence (NCPE) is currently developing updated guidelines for police handling of domestic violence cases.

Drug Rape

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police forces are equipped with readily available test kits to secure samples in the event of a complaint of drug rape.

Caroline Flint: Twenty six police forces have ordered the Early Evidence Kit produced by the Forensic Science Service Scenesafe Unit. Scenesafe are the only suppliers of Early Evidence Kits approved by the Association of Chief Police Officers.
	Another supplier, Tetra, sell separate modules and some forces use Tetra's urine and mouth modules to make up their own kit. It is not known how many forces have done this, but the Forensic Science Service estimate that most forces have access to one or other kit.

Drug Rape

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training in the specific handling of cases of drug rape is available to police forces; how many forces have taken up such training; and for what level of officer.

Hazel Blears: Training for investigators in the handling of allegations of drug induced rape is contained within the Initial Crime Investigators Development Programme (ICIDP). This is a national programme, launched in February 2003 and endorsed by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO). The training includes a knowledge of the various drugs that may be used and their effects; evidential and forensic considerations; and issues concerning victim care and evidence.
	The training of uniformed officers who deal with sexual offence investigation (variously known as SOIT, SOLO or chaperones) is not currently delivered to a national programme. However, forces deliver a range of appropriate local training, including sexual offence training and drug induced rape issues. Numbers of forces providing such training are not currently known, but it features in a wide range of force training programmes.
	Training for those officers, to agreed national standards, is currently being developed within the Sexual Offences Training Project at the Centre for Investigative Skills, National Specialist Law Enforcement Centre (NCPE). This is part of the response to the Home Office Action Plan to implement the recommendations of the HMCPSI/HMIC joint investigation into the investigation and prosecution of cases involving allegations of rape.
	'Early Evidence Kits', developed by the Forensic Science Service in conjunction with the Police Service, have been available since 2002.

Drug Rape

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to ensure that early support is available to the victims of drug rape who do not intend to report the matter to the police.

Caroline Flint: Victims of drug rape currently have access to all the support services available to victims of any type of sexual offence. These include local GP and hospital services, Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs), Victim Support and NHS Direct, all of which will support victims of any sexual crime, whether or not they intend to report the matter to the police. In addition, there are local rape crisis centres in some parts of the country providing services for women only or which are geared towards the needs of particular groups, such as people with disabilities.
	In July, the Home Office published a new national strategy, 'A new deal for victims and witnesses', which sets out our plans for ensuring that victims and witnesses of crimeincluding victims of sexual offencesget a better deal in future. One of the issues identified in the strategy is the need to ensure that there is better support for victims of sexual offences, including increased access to Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) and rape crisis centres.
	As well as supporting the further roll out of Sexual Assault Referral Centres and improving access to other forms of support, the Home Office also intends to set up a national helpline for victims of sexual offences.

Drug Treatment

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to page 38 of the 2003 Departmental Report, how many of the 5,500 probationers who entered drug treatment completed that treatment.

Paul Goggins: Government funding for drug treatment has more than doubled since 2000 to over 500 million pounds in 200304 and will rise further to 573 million by 200506. The number of problematic drug misusers entering treatment has also steadily increased over the last five years as treatment services have improved and become more widely available. The Drug Treatment and Testing Order (DTTO) is the main criminal justice disposal for drug addicts who commit crime and require treatment. The order can last between six months and three years and currently over 53 per cent. of DTTO offenders have either successfully completed their order or are still engaging positively with their treatment. Last year 6,140 DTTOs were made.

Dungavel Detention Centre

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who has responsibility for the education of children detained at the Dungavel Detention Centre; and under what legislation this responsibility is given.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 16 September 2003
	Under sections 148 and 149 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 the management and operation of Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre has been contracted out to Premier Detention Services. Premier Detention Services is therefore responsible for the provision of all services at the centre including the education provision for both adults and
	children.

Dungavel Detention Centre

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letters of (a) 7 August and (b) 18 August from the hon. Member for Perth regarding the Dungavel Detention Centre.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 16 September 2003
	My hon. Friend the Member for Slough (Fiona Mactaggart) replied to the hon. Member's letter of 7 August on 9 September. The hon. Member's letter of 18 August was not received in this Department. A copy has been obtained from the hon. Member's office and there will be a reply as soon as possible.

Foreign Nationals (Deportation)

Paul Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals held in prison service custody who have been served with a deportation notice are currently awaiting a decision from him on a parole application.

Beverley Hughes: Information on the number of people held in Prison Service establishments who have been served with notice of intention to deport is not available except by examination of individual case-files at disproportionate cost.

Foreign Nationals (Deportation)

Paul Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals in prison service custody who have completed their sentence (a) are awaiting deportation, (b) have been awaiting deportation for between one and three months, (c) have been awaiting deportation for between three and six months, (d) have been awaiting deportation for between six and 12 months and (e) have been awaiting deportation for more than a year.

Beverley Hughes: Information on the number of people held in Prison Service establishments under the Immigration Act (2002) after completion of a custodial sentence is not available except by examination of individual case-files at disproportionate cost.

Forensic Science Service

Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what profit/loss has been returned by the Forensic Science Service in each year since 1992.

Hazel Blears: Figures relating to the profit/loss returned by the Forensic Science Service in each year since 1992 are set out in the table:
	
		
			  000 
		
		
			 199192 -1,113 
			 199293 1,193 
			 199394 -1,930 
			 199495 769 
			 199596 628 
			 199697 -1,457 
			 199798 3,035 
			 199899 239 
			 19992000 157 
			 200001 3,695 
			 200102 4,891 
			 200203 10,232

Forensic Science Service

Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were employed by the Forensic Science Service (a) in total and (b) at its Wetherby site in each year since 1992.

Hazel Blears: Information is currently available only for 199697 to 200203. The number of employees (permanent staff, counted as full-time equivalents) at 31 March of each of those years is as follows.
	
		
			 Year FSS total(60) Wetherby 
		
		
			 1997 1,167 115 
			 1998 1,276 126 
			 1999 1,677 183 
			 2000 1,811 170 
			 2001 2,230 222 
			 2002 2,488 258 
			 2003 2,603 273 
		
	
	(60) Forensic Science Service

Forensic Science Service

Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the police authorities in England and Wales used the services of the Forensic Science Service in each year since 1992.

Hazel Blears: The Forensic Science Service has provided a service to all police authorities in each year since 1992 to the current year.

Forensic Science Service

Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost was of redundancy payments met by the Forensic Science Service in (a) 2002 and (b) 2003.

Hazel Blears: There were no redundancies in 200102 or 200203. The current estimate of redundancy cost of 200304 is 6 million.

Forensic Science Service

Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the procedure is for the appointment of members to the Executive Board of the Forensic Science Service; and how many people serve on the Board.

Hazel Blears: Appointments are made by the executive board after scrutiny by the Development and Remuneration Committee, and approval by the main board.
	The Development and Remuneration Committee consists solely of independent members and the majority of members of the main board are non-executive directors.

Forensic Science Service

Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent on research and development by the Forensic Science Service in each year since 1992.

Hazel Blears: The value of research and development by the Forensic Science Service in each year since 1992 is set out in the table.
	
		
			  000 
		
		
			 199192 2,506 
			 199293 2,295 
			 199394 1,671 
			 199495 1,582 
			 199596 1,656 
			 199697 2,109 
			 199798 2,235 
			 199899 2,771 
			 19992000 3,187 
			 200001 3,173 
			 200102 3,670 
			 200203 3,417

Forensic Science Service

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are employed by the Forensic Science Service.

Hazel Blears: The number of people employees (permanent staff, counted as full-time equivalents) on 31 July 2003 was 2,649.

Graffiti

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the level of graffiti; and what plans he has to reduce it.

Hazel Blears: The British Crime Survey records that, in 200203 survey year, over a third of respondents perceived graffiti vandalism and other deliberate damage to property as being a very or fairly big problem.
	Graffiti spoils our enjoyment of public places, increases fear of crime and produces an environment where crime and anti-social behaviour can thrive. That is why we are taking action to tackle it in both the Anti-Social Behaviour Bill and the Criminal Justice Bill. We are banning the sale of spray paints to under 18s. We are closing the loophole which prevents the police from searching for items which they suspect may be intended for causing criminal damage, such as spray paints. We are also giving local authorities powers to issue fixed penalty notices for graffiti and to clean graffiti from certain types of property now owned by them.
	The Anti-Social Behaviour Unit is also looking at practical ways to reduce further anti-social behaviour, including graffiti.

Gun Control

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what studies he has commissioned of gun control policies in other nations, with particular reference to (a) the United States and (b) other EU member states; and what conclusions he has drawn.

Caroline Flint: I have not received recent studies. In developing our approach to gun control we pay broad regard to aspects of controls in other countries and to our European Union and international obligations. But ultimately United Kingdom legislation has to be framed in the context of domestic requirements. We have one of the toughest frameworks of control in the world, and we consider it right that we should. However, although controlling legal firearms is important in helping to prevent guns falling into the wrong hands, it does not obviate the need for other measures to deal with armed crime. This needs to be addressed in the context of all violent crime and other activities such as drug dealing, as well as the emergence of a gang culture in some areas, and in the light of what we can learn from police best practice, both here and abroad. The experience of the police in Boston, for example, is already being taken into account by police forces in the United Kingdom.

Gurkhas

Ann Widdecombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the basis is for the policy that wives of Gurkha soldiers who hold British overseas passports are refused visas to join their husbands in this country where the soldiers have six months or less to serve.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 16 September 2003
	British overseas citizens do not have right of abode in the United Kingdom and are subject to immigration control. There is no provision within the immigration rules for dependants of members of the armed forces to enter or remain in the United Kingdom. Under a concession outside the rules dependants are normally granted leave for the duration of the principal member's posting, up to a maximum of three years, on conditions permitting employment.
	Gurkhas are discharged in Nepal and Gurkhas often return to Nepal, with their personal possessions, six months prior to their official discharge in order to undertake pre-retirement courses and take leave. During this time, the basis of any leave in the United Kingdom granted to the dependant wife of such a Gurkha no longer exists, as the Gurkha is no longer in the United Kingdom, and she may be refused entry.
	An application for a visa to enter the United Kingdom may also be refused for the same reason.

Gurkhas

Ann Widdecombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made with the review into policy governing the right of Gurkhas to return to this country after completion of service; and when he expects to report on its findings.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 16 September 2003
	Officials from the Immigration and Nationality Directorate met with officials from the Ministry of Defence on Friday 12 September as part of their review of immigration issues affecting Gurkhas and other foreign and commonwealth personnel in the armed forces. Their discussion included access to settlement, work permits, naturalisation and welfare issues, including those affecting dependants. They are aiming to conclude their review and report their findings by Christmas.

Hearsay

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what safeguards exist to deal with the risks of hearsay evidence of an unrecorded cell confession; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The Government set out its position on these issues in its response, published in March 2003 this year, to the 2nd Report of the Home Affairs Committee (Session 20022003) Criminal Justice Bill:
	In relation to the admissibility in criminal proceedings of confessions made to third parties, judges already have discretion to exclude evidence if it appears to the court that the admission of the evidence would have such an adverse effect on the fairness of the proceedings that the court ought not to admit it. When considering exercising this discretion the court would have regard for all the circumstances of the case, including the circumstances in which the evidence was obtained. [Ref: Section 78 Police  Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE)].
	Judges also have the discretion to exclude evidence where its prejudicial effect would outweigh any probative value. [Ref: Section 82(3) of PACE].
	More specifically, where evidence is obtained in circumstances such as confessions made in custody cells, it is also open to the judge to draw the attention of the jury to these circumstances in his summing up.
	The Royal Commission on Criminal Justice considered this issue in 1993 and made no recommendation for change. It was considered again by the Law Commission as part of its review of the hearsay laws in 1997. It concluded that confessions should continue to be admissible against their makers, subject to the discretions in PACE and in common law to exclude them. This view was supported on consultation.

Home Security

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact of the security improvements for homes in high crime areas.

Hazel Blears: I assume that the hon. Member is referring to the Locks for Pensioners scheme, a two-year programme funded under the Crime Reduction Programme to provide home security upgrades for low income pensioners in areas with burglary rates above the national average. The scheme ran from July 2000 to June 2002 in conjunction with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA's) Warm Front scheme.
	The scheme is being evaluated and the report of the evaluation, covering both processes and outcomes, is expected to be published early in 2004.

Immigration

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what extra resources have been provided in the last three years to police authorities to enable them to deal with the policing of immigrants.

Hazel Blears: Expenditure on policing supported by Government has increased by 25 per cent. in the past three years. It is a matter for each police authority to match resources to local policing requirements.

Immigration

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what statistics are maintained on the criminal activities of (a) illegal immigrants and (b) seekers of political asylum.

Beverley Hughes: The statistics referred to are not available from existing data collection systems and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Details of the nationality and immigration status of suspects or of those convicted of crimes are not collated centrally as part of the recorded crime statistics and are not necessarily recorded by individual police forces.
	Information on asylum applications is published quarterly on the Home Office website at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html. The next publication will be available from the end of November and will cover the third quarter of 2003.

Immigration

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases in each of the last 12 months have been (a) sent to the Appeals Processing Centre and (b) despatched to the Immigration Appellate Authority.

Beverley Hughes: The available information is shown in the table.
	
		Number of cases (principal applicants)
		
			 Month Asylum appeals received by the Home Office(61) Asylum Appeals received by the IAA(61),(62) 
		
		
			 July 2002 4,565 4,500 
			 August 2002 3,960 4,510 
			 September 2002 3,905 9,635 
			 October 2002 4,965 4,475 
			 November 2002 3,740 6,080 
			 December 2002 3,575 6,110 
			 January 2003 (63)3,400 6,015 
			 February 2003 (63)4,000 6,025 
			 March 2003 (63)5,200 6,045 
			 April 2003 (63)3,700 5,825 
			 May 2003 (63)3,400 6,025 
			 June 2003 (63)3,600 5,985 
		
	
	(61) Figures rounded to the nearest five, and are provisional.
	(62) Based on information supplied by the Department for Constitutional Affairs.
	(63) Figures rounded to the nearest 100, and subject to later revision.
	Information on the number of asylum appeals received by the Home Office, and the number of appeals received by the Immigration Appellate Authority (IAA), is published quarterly on the Home Office website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

Incapacitating Drugs

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress is being made with the design of a device to test for a broad spectrum of incapacitating drugs in alcoholic drinks.

Caroline Flint: The Department of Trade and Industry commissioned research to look at the viability of a potential drug detecting device, such as a swizzle stick, that could be unobtrusively used by people in pubs and clubs to detect drugs in drinks. Unfortunately, the prohibitive costs involved, and the difficulty of producing a satisfactory device, led to the project's discontinuance.
	In general, we would urge people to exercise care with any product that claims to provide a complete solution to this problem, not least because of the reported widespread use of alcohol itself as a substance to facilitate the overpowering of a victim. Any device that provides only a partial screen is potentially dangerous to the extent that it may offer false reassurance.

Internet Grooming

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research he has analysed into which age group is the most targeted for internet grooming.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 8 September 2003
	We know of no research which would directly answer the question. Rachel O'Connell's published research (Young Peoples' use of chatrooms; implications for policy strategies and programmes of education, 2002) explores the use of chatrooms by children of different ages but did not purport to identify the age group most at risk of grooming. The position is that a child of any age might be a target and so all should be
	cautious.

Interpretation/Translation Services

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department why the Immigration Research and Statistics Service commissioned a consultant to conduct a mapping exercise of the Immigration Research and Statistics Service research into the use of interpreters by Government Departments and other public services; if he will make a statement on the conclusions reached regarding how public services provide interpretation and translation services, where they are adequate and where they are not; what they cost; and what best practice has been identified.

Beverley Hughes: The Immigration Research and Statistics Service recently commissioned a research study to map the provision of interpretation and translation across five geographical regions and across eight public sector services. The research was carried out by the Health for Asylum Seekers and Refugees Portal (HARP) group at East London University. Its main aims were to identify the range of interpretation and translation services available in the United Kingdom, to identify the main service providers and public sector users of these services and to identify the role of community groups in this provision. The project also aimed to examine the costs of this provision and to identify good practice in providing interpretation and translation services.
	This research project has not yet been completed.

Lawful Protests (RAF Fairford)

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the use of powers provided by the Terrorism Act 2000 to prevent lawful protests by anti-war protestors at RAF Fairford during the recent conflict in Iraq;
	(2)  what powers provided by the Terrorism Act 2000 were used to police anti-war protests at RAF Fairford during the recent conflict in Iraq;
	(3)  if he will make a statement on the issuing of section 44 notices under the terms of the Terrorism Act 2000, to anti-war protesters at RAF Fairford during the recent Iraq conflict.

David Blunkett: Lawful protests were not prevented at RAF Fairford during the recent conflict in Iraq as a result of use of the Terrorism Act 2000.
	The use of the stop and search powers under section 44 was authorised and confirmed according to statutory procedure for a designated area which included Fairford. They were therefore available to officers during the policing of the protests. Such powers are confirmed solely to enable officers to search for articles that could be used in connection with terrorism.
	The issuing of individual stop and search notices was an operational matter for the police.

Lawful Protests (RAF Fairford)

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the policing tactics used during anti-war protests at RAF Fairford during the recent conflict in Iraq.

Hazel Blears: Gloucestershire constabulary co-ordinated a joint operation with the Ministry of Defence police who were responsible for policing on the base. In a complex operation, Gloucestershire constabulary deployed a significant number of police officers and operational tactics designed to facilitate peaceful protest and prevent terrorist activity or public disorder while maintaining the integrity of the outer perimeter of the base.

Lawful Protests (RAF Fairford)

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the total policing costs at the anti-war protests at RAF Fairford during the recent conflict in Iraq.

Hazel Blears: The Chief Constable of Gloucestershire constabulary informs me that the latest estimate of costs for the policing operation at RAF Fairford is of the order of 6.9 million.
	The revised projection is a significant increase on previous estimates of around 3.3 million to 3.6 million.
	Earlier this year my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary agreed to support the police authority with special grant towards the costs of the operation.
	We are now considering the revised estimate with the police authority and the constabulary.

Metropolitan Police

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding per head of population the Metropolitan police received in each year since 1993 from (a) Government and (b) precept; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The information is set out in the table.
	
		
		
			  Funding per head of population Precept per head of population 
		
		
			  
			  
			 199394 172.8 50.9 
			 199495 174.6 53.7 
			 199596 209.6 20.7 
			 199697 206.5 20.3 
			 199798 211.8 24.3 
			 199899 209.1 28.9 
			 19992000 209.2 31.0 
			 200001 220.8 33.5 
			 200102 250.2 45.3 
			 200203 262.6 49.0 
			 200304 279.1 60.2 
		
	
	Funding includes Home Office police grant and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) revenue support grant and national non-domestic rates and Standard Spending Assessment (SSA) reduction grant, Crime Fighting Fund, Airwave, Street Crime Initiative, DNA Expansion programme, London Allowance, free travel, Basic Command Unit (BCU) funding, special priority payments, counter-terrorism funding, capital grant, C3i, Premises Improvement Fund and special grant.
	Source for population data (and police grant in 199394 and 199495) is the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy police statistics (Actuals to 200102 and Estimates for 200203). Figures for 200304 are not yet available so the estimated population figure for 200203 has been used.
	Source for precept information is the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Microsoft

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was paid to Microsoft in licensing fees by his Department and its agencies in each of the last three years; and how much has been budgeted for (a) 200304 and (b) 200405.

Fiona Mactaggart: The cost of Microsoft Licensing fees are inclusive of enterprise and select agreements and monies paid under software assurance but are exclusive of spend on customisation, often classified as professional services and software licences procured by IT service providers.
	
		
			   July 2000 to March 2001 April 2001 to March 2002 April 2002 to March 2003 Total 
		
		
			 Home Office Home Office 53 5,726 17 5,796 
			  Includes: National Probation Service Criminal Justice IT Immigration  Nationality Dir 
			 Home Office Total  53 5,726 17 5,796 
			 Home Office Agencies Forensic Science Service 263 391 450 1,104 
			  UK Passport Office 0 0 11 11 
			  Prison Service (costs incurred locally by prisons) 52 433 2,029 2,514 
			 Home Office Agencies Total  315 824 2,490 3,629 
		
	
	Note
	Figures shown above are 000s
	Budgets:
	The Forensic Science Service retain the management of their IT infrastructure in-house and therefore allocate a budget to the annual costs of Microsoft Licensing (200304 227,000; 200405 227,000 est).
	Neither the Home Department nor the Prison Service and United Kingdom Passport Agency are able to provide budgeting information as requested.

Labour Party Conference

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding will be paid to Dorset police authority in respect of the costs of policing the Labour Party Conference in Bournemouth; and what percentage of the cost of policing the conference this represents.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 16 September 2003
	The Chief Constable has estimated that the additional costs of policing the conference this year will be 2.276 million. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has agreed a special grant to cover this sum. He has also agreed to contribute 0.204 million (48 per cent.) towards the cost of permanent equipment for security.

Migrants

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information his Department holds on the deaths of migrants to Europe and the Mediterranean in the last 12 months; and what discussions his Department has held with relevant officials in (a) Spain, (b) Italy and (c) Greece.

Beverley Hughes: Statistical information on the deaths of migrants to Europe and the Mediterranean is not collated centrally in the UK. Such incidents are appalling, and we know that a significant number of those that have died have had their journeys facilitated by organised criminal gangs. The Government are committed to working with our EU partners to combat this exploitative trade by targeting people smugglers and traffickers through joint operations across Europe. During the last 12 months, officials in the Home Office have held discussions with their counterparts across the EU, including Spain, Italy and Greece, to ensure that such operations are appropriately targeted and rigorous action is taken to combat people smuggling and its inherent risks to life.

Migrants

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the amount paid in taxes by migrants to the UK in each of the last five years.

Beverley Hughes: Information does not exist on the precise amounts paid in taxes by migrants to the UK each year. However, a Home Office research study, published in 2002 (RDS Occasional Paper 77 The migrant population in the UK: fiscal effects), estimated that for the fiscal year 19992000 migrants paid 31.2 billion in taxes. By comparison they received an estimated 28.8 billion in public expenditure and servicesmaking a net fiscal contribution to the UK of 2.5 billion.

Migrants

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the new detection technology used in the management of migration to the UK.

Beverley Hughes: The deployment of people detection technology is one of the many initiatives the Government have taken to significantly reduce the number of unfounded asylum claimants arriving in the United Kingdom.
	We have deployed people detection technology at ports in France, Belgium, Holland, Germany and Ireland.
	In France, we have deployed technology in Calais and Coquelles and negotiations on deployment are at an advanced stage with the ports of Dunkirk, Cherbourg, Le Havre and Caen, and preliminary scoping visits have been made to Dieppe, Roscoff and St. Malo. At Calais there is the capability to screen 100 per cent. of embarking freight vehicles. Following the tightening of security at Calais, we are taking steps to deploy at other continental ports vulnerable to the displacement of clandestine activity.
	In Belgium, operations have commenced at Ostend where United Kingdom provided technology screens on embarking freight. Initial operations have commenced at Zeebrugge and deployment continues at other terminals within the port. A gamma scanner has been trialed in a joint operation with the Belgian authorities since August 2003.
	In the Netherlands, deployment has now commenced at the port of Vlissingen and negotiations continue with other Dutch ports.
	In Germany, technology has been operational on the German border with Poland and the Czech Republic since late August.
	In Ireland, technology has been deployed since late July.

Motor Salvage

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact of the Motor Salvage Operations Regulations.

Hazel Blears: The provisions of the Vehicles (Crime) Act 2001 and accompanying regulations regulating the motor salvage industry took effect on 21 October 2002. They have been welcomed by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) who believe they will be effective in driving criminals out of the motor salvage industry. Information about registrations of motor salvage operators, inspections of premises and prosecutions and convictions under the 2001 Act is not available centrally at present. We are in touch with ACPO and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister about how this information can be collected without unnecessarily increasing the bureaucratic burden on police forces and local authorities.

National Crime Squad

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are employed by the National Crime Squad; and what its total salary costs in 200203 were.

Hazel Blears: The total workforce of the National Crime Squad (NCS) for 200203 was 1,769.
	The total salary costs for NCS in 200203 were 83,255,000.

National Criminal Intelligence Service

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are employed by the National Criminal Intelligence Service; and what its total salary costs in 200203 were.

Hazel Blears: In 200203, the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) workforce was 956 staff. This included an average of 71 members of staff attached to NCIS who were paid for by their parent employer.
	NCIS total salary costs for 200203 were 39,526,000.

Operation Magician

Sydney Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the final cost was of Operation Magician in 2000.

Caroline Flint: I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that the approximate additional cost for this operation was 300,000.

Operation Ore

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes are planned to the Operation Ore Child Protection Unit operated by the Metropolitan police.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 11 September 2003
	The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis advises me that the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) does not have a specific 'Operation Ore Child Protection Unit'. The MPS Child Protection Group manages all child abuse investigations including all Operation Ore subjects. The Group is led by a Detective Chief Superintendent and has an establishment of 418 specialist police officers and 150 civilian support staff.
	The MPS Child Protection Group's health and safety strategy has required that a small number of officers who have served a long time within the Paedophile Unit be rotated to other duties. This has been misreported in the media as the disbanding of the Paedophile Unit. However the unit is in fact being expanded and made ready for the new legislation, including the Sexual Offences Bill, currently passing through Parliament.

Operation Ore

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent on Operation Ore since it was set up.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 11 September 2003
	Investigations concerning Operation Ore are carried out by paedophile units, child protection or investigation teams within police forces, assisted by computer crime units. The decision as to the level of funding that should be allocated to this type of work, and this specific investigation is the responsibility of individual chief police officers.
	There is no central record held of the sums allocated to these units or the amount spent on individual operations.

Ordnance Safety Board

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what account police forces in England and Wales take of the views of the Ordnance Safety Board in determining which weapons to recommend for police use.

Hazel Blears: Decisions regarding the choice of weapons for police use are a matter for chief officers. Information on the sources of advice they receive is not available centrally.

Overseas Students

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received on the level of charges for leave to remain for overseas students.

Beverley Hughes: The fees are set under Treasury rules to recover the full administrative cost entailed in considering applications and no more. This is calculated by taking the overall costs of processing applications divided by the number of decisions we expect to make.
	A number of letters have been received from groups representing the education sector such as UKCOSA, Universities UK, and various universities to which I have already responded.
	A number of letters, phone calls and emails have also been received from members of the public, including students with regard to both the introduction of charging and the level of the fee. Officials continue to deal with these.

Paedophiles

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce minimum sentences for those guilty of paedophile offences; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The Government have no plans to introduce a minimum sentence for those found guilty of sexual offences against children. The offences cover a wide range of behaviour and in some cases the offender may himself be a child.
	However, the Criminal Justice Bill currently before Parliament will establish a Sentencing Guidelines Council, chaired by the Lord Chief Justice. The Council will be responsible for setting guidelines for the full range of criminal offences, including sexual offences against children. It will be required to consult Parliament before publishing a guideline and will commission advice from the Sentencing Advisory Panel which will consult widely.
	The guidelines should ensure that there is an agreed starting point for sentences and agreed aggravating and mitigating factors. In each individual case, the judge or magistrate will continue to make a decision as to sentence as they see fit, but will be required to operate within the Council's guidelines or explain why they do not apply to the case in question.

Paedophiles

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce legislation to increase the maximum sentence for those guilty of paedophile offences; and if he will make a statement on judicial leniency in such cases.

Paul Goggins: The new Sexual Offences Bill includes a range of child sexual offences that will cover not only unlawful sexual intercourse but also other forms of sexual touching involving a child under 16. The offences are underpinned by maximum penalties. Many of these represent significant increases on the maximum penalties available for the comparable offending at present.
	The Criminal Justice Bill currently before Parliament will establish a Sentencing Guidelines Council, chaired by the Lord Chief Justice. The Council will be responsible for setting guidelines for the full range of criminal offences, including sexual offences against children. It is proposed that Parliament will also be consulted as a guideline is developed. In each individual case, the judge or magistrate will continue to make a decision as to sentence as they see fit, but will be required to operate within the Council's guidelines or explain why they do not apply to the case in question.

Paedophiles

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to increase the funding for the Special Paedophile Unit; and if he will make a statement on its role.

Paul Goggins: The Paedophilia On Line Investigation Team (POLIT) is a unit of the National Crime Squad (NCS) which administers online paedophile investigations on a national basis.
	The unit is responsible for directing key investigations on behalf of forces and providing a national single point of contact for international enquiries in relation to online child sex abuse. The unit is particularly well known for the vital role it has assumed in the co-ordination of Operation Ore.
	The funding of this unit is currently being considered as part of the wider funding provision for the National Crime Squad for the years 200405 and beyond.

Paedophiles

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures are in place to test whether a convicted paedophile is ready for release; and what plans he has to change these procedures.

Paul Goggins: Where release of a prisoner is discretionary, a variety of reports from a number of different sources are produced to assess a prisoner's suitability for release, and to inform the decision making process. These may include specific assessments designed for sex offenders. The assessment process is kept under review.

Parliamentary Questions

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many questions directed to him remain unanswered.

Fiona Mactaggart: The current number of parliamentary questions directed to the Secretary of State for the Home Department yet to be answered is 320.

Passports

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to deny visa-waived entrance to EU passport holders who carry passports without modern security features.

Beverley Hughes: Under EC law, EU nationals must be admitted to the United Kingdom if they produce, on arrival, a valid passport or national identity card issued by an EU State, regardless of the security features contained in those documents. Therefore there are no plans to introduce visa requirements for EU passport or identity card holders.
	The European Community currently has a general power that would enable it to agree provisions on security features on identity cards, residence permits and passports on the basis of unanimity. This will be reinforced under the draft Constitutional Treaty which will provide a specific unanimity legal base and will raise the profile of EU competency in this area.
	This will allow the European Community to actively press for improved levels of security and quality in all member states' identity documents.

Peaceful Demonstrations

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the use of powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 in relation to peaceful demonstrations.

David Blunkett: Powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 are available to police to prevent acts of terrorism, and to aid investigation into terrorist activities. The use of such powers at any demonstration should be only for these purposes.
	Where specific concerns arise, I have sought reviews from the relevant force and they in turn have taken appropriate steps to review their own operational procedures.

Performance Targets (Criminal Justice System)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the SR2002 public service agreement targets are for the criminal justice system with effect from April 2003.

Paul Goggins: The Home Office's public service agreement targets, with effect from April 2003, were agreed with Her Majesty's Treasury as part of the 2002 Spending Review. They were laid before the House, on 15 July 2002, in the White paper '2002 Spending Review: Public Service Agreements' (Cm 5571), a copy of which was placed in the Library.
	These targets are shared with the Department for Constitutional Affairs and the Crown Prosecution Service.
	Details of the public service agreement targets from SR2002 are also available on the Her Majesty's Treasury website www.hm-treasury.gov.uk.

Police

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers were licensed to carry firearms in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: The number of authorised firearms officers (AFOs) in police forces in England and Wales for years 19972002 are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Number of authorised firearms officers (AFOs) 
		
		
			 199697 6,738 
			 199798 6,585 
			 199899 6,308 
			 19992000 6,262 
			 200001 6,064 
			 200102 5,776

Police

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the more flexible working practices in the Police Service are that are referred to on page 46 of the 2003 Departmental Report.

Hazel Blears: A number of more flexible working practices were implemented in April 2003, as part of the reforms to police pay and conditions agreed by the Police Negotiating Board in May 2002. They are:
	A national target of a 15 per cent. reduction in overtime expenditure by 200506, designed to give officers a healthier work life balance;
	A change from annual rosters to three-month rosters;
	Removal of the 16-hour a week minimum requirement for part-time working;
	Removal of the requirement for job-sharing in middle and senior ranks; and
	Rationalisation of the system of allowances.

Police

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the work of the Police Standards Unit in assisting forces which are having difficulty meeting volume crime targets.

Hazel Blears: The Police Standards Unit's (PSU) work with police forces to address performance issues is initiated where there are gaps in performance across a range of indicators, including key volume crime indicators. The full range of indicators were set out in the National Policing Plan 200306. The PSU is also leading the development of the Policing Performance Assessment Framework (PPAF) which aims to provide a broader balanced score approach to performance assessment.
	While each PSU project is subject to scrutiny and review, no formal assessment has been made to quantify the impact of this work on meeting specific volume crime targets in forces. PSU is making, and will continue to make, a significant impact in assisting forces to improve their performance.

Police

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made by police forces in England and Wales in emulating the best practice highlighted by the National Centre for Policing Excellence.

Hazel Blears: The National Centre for Policing Excellence was launched in April 2003 to increase the professional capacity of the police by identifying and disseminating evidence-based best practice. In 200203, it produced a knowledge map on street robbery which has been available to all forces on the Criminal Justice Extranet. It is too early, however, to judge how effective this good practice guidance has been in improving the professional capability of the Police Service.

Police

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police forces in England and Wales have signed up to the best practice standards in the use of the National Intelligence Model.

Hazel Blears: The National Policing Plan commits all forces in England and Wales to be National Intelligence Model (NIM) compliant by April 2004. Implementation is supported by Home Office funding. Regular assessments of progress are taking place and development plans are in place within forces where appropriate.

Police

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what appraisals of the safety and reliability records of different types of pistols are being undertaken in relation to weapons recommended for police use.

Hazel Blears: All forces are required to notify the Police Scientific Development Branch (who are part of the Home Office) of any failures or defects in weapons or ammunition in order that an assessment can be made as to whether there is a need for further investigation and potential circulation of information to all forces.

Police

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the manufacturers of pistols used by UK police forces; and if he will indicate for each manufacturer which other Western European police forces use weapons of that manufacture.

Hazel Blears: Decisions on the make of pistols used by UK police forces would be a matter for chief officers. Information on the weapons used by other European police forces is not available.

Prisons

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what research his Department has commissioned into the effect of prison overcrowding on prisoners, what his evaluation is of this research; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what research his Department has commissioned on the effect of prison overcrowding on (a) prison staff morale and (b) safety in prisons; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: Prison overcrowding is carefully managed within agreed operating capacities at each establishment. Operating capacities are the total number of prisoners that an establishment can hold taking into account control, security and the proper operation of the planned regime. Prison Service area managers determine such capacities on the basis of operational judgement and experience.
	No specific research projects have been undertaken into the effects of overcrowding on prisoners. However, we do keep under careful review the impact of population pressures, including overcrowding, on prisoners and staff in all prisons. There are a number of measures that can be used to assess the effects, for example, by the monitoring of regime performance, we know that population pressures are not yet significantly affecting the provision of rehabilitative schemes in prisons. It is inevitable though that at times of high population pressures, such provision may become disrupted.
	The Prison Service is taking steps to ensure the safety of prisoners and to mitigate against the effect of overcrowding.
	For example, The Prison Service is in the final year of a three-year safer custody programme to develop policies and practices to reduce prisoner suicide and self-harm in prisons. The programme includes a series of inter-related projects to improve pre-reception, reception and induction arrangements; inter-agency information exchange; prisoner care; detoxification; prisoner peer support, and the learning from investigations into deaths in custody. Over the next few months the outcome of this programme will be reviewed taking into account an evaluation of these projects and emerging research findings.
	The Prison Service also keeps under review the distance between where prisoners are accommodated and their home areas. The Prison Service aims to hold prisoners in establishments that provide the degree of security they require; are suitable to their gender, age and legal status; provide special facilities appropriate to prisoner needs or are near to their homes or the courts dealing with their cases. High population levels throughout the prison estate can lead to prisoners being transferred from their home area to establishments where there are vacancies. However, evidence shows that over the last two years there has been little change in the proportion of prisoners held either under or more than 50 miles from their home area.
	There is, however, no evidence to suggest that population pressures compromise public security. Since 199293, the number of escapes from prison has significantly fallen from 232 in 199293 to five in 200203. This is despite an increase of around 50 per cent. in the average prison population over the same period.
	The number of assaults across the Prison Service fell in 200102 in comparison to figures for 200001. There was an increase in assaults in 200203, but early indications are that there may be a slight decrease in the number of such incidents for 200304. Minimising the number of incidents is essential to the safe custody of prisoners and to the protection of prisoners and staff. While it is expected that the number of incidents will increase as the prison population rises, it should be recognised that the majority of incidents other than escapes, assaults and deaths are quickly and safely resolved through the use of good contingency planning and incident resolution procedures.
	While there has been no research into effects of overcrowding on Prison Service staff, an annual staff survey asks staff, as part of a range of questions, and as an indication of motivation about job satisfaction, whether they feel safe in their working environment. 67 per cent. of staff that responded to the 2002 survey said that they felt safe in their working environment. The survey itself does not directly research the effects of overcrowding on staff attitudes and morale. It cannot, therefore, identify whether the reasons for this response rate can be directly attributed to overcrowding.
	A copy of the surveys and their outcomes are held in the Library.

Prisons

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign citizens were in prison in England and Wales in each year between 1992 and 2002; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The numbers of foreign nationals in prisons in England and Wales on 30 June of each year between 1993 and 2002 are given in the table. Information for 1992 is not available.
	
		
			 Year Number 
		
		
			 1993 3,503 
			 1994 3,781 
			 1995 4,089 
			 1996 4,259 
			 1997 4,677 
			 1998 5,133 
			 1999 5,388 
			 2000 5,587 
			 2001 6,926 
			 2002 7,718

Prisons

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 6 March 2003, Official Report, column 1243W, on prisons, on the basis of which scenario term projections set out in the Home Office Prison Population Brief, England and Wales: March 2003 (27/08/03) the forecast average population for 19952006 is calculated; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The projected prison population for 20032006 in the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds, Central (Hilary Benn) on 6 March 2003, Official Report, Column 1244W, was scenario C published in Home Office Statistical Bulletin 14/02 in December 2002. It assumes that custody rates increase by 1.25 per cent. per year for males and 2.5 per cent. for females to 2005, with the increase halving thereafter.
	The legislative and other changes that are included in the projection are given as follows.
	'Narrowing the Justice Gap'one of the delivery targets for the Criminal Justice System.
	Crime (Sentences) Act 1997automatic life sentences for serious repeat offenders; minimum custodial sentences of three years for thire-time domestic burglars.
	Crime and Disorder Act 1997 the recall of short sentence prisoners released on licence; the extension of secure remands.
	Early release from Detention and Taining Orders (DTOs).
	Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programmes (ISSPs).
	Added dayseffect of a decision by the European Court of Human Rights.
	The number of Immigration Act detainees
	Extension of Home Detention Curfew (HDC)the maximum period of HDC to be increased to 90 days for those prisoners eligible from 16 December 2002.
	An updated set of prison population projections was released on Tuesday 9 September in the April 2003 monthly brief. The projections take into account recent policy changes, such as the extension to HDC in July, and sentencing trends.

Prisons

Janet Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to ensure that staff in private prisons receive adequate training to enable them to deal with sophisticated prisoners.

Paul Goggins: The contracts for the operation of private sector prisons already require that staff are provided with adequate and appropriate training. Prisoner Custody Officers (PCOs) must therefore undertake an ongoing training programme, which is equivalent to that of public sector prison officers and is monitored by the on-site Correctional Services controller. Issues such as manipulation and conditioning by prisoners are covered in regular security awareness training courses.

Probation Service

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans the National Probation Directorate has further to outsource probation service functions.

Paul Goggins: There is a long history of providing probation services in partnership with the voluntary and private sector. The Criminal Justice Bill indicates a significant increase in the use of community penalties and further outsourcing will be considered in order to ensure that qualified and experienced probation staff are used where they will have greatest impact. At present there are no firm plans as to how this might be done. Where competition and collaboration are able to help improve performance and increase capacity this will be given serious consideration.

Project Reflex

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the agencies involved in Project Reflex; and the resources allocated to each.

Beverley Hughes: Reflex is chaired by the Director General of the National Crime Squad and includes similar representatives from INDIS (Immigration and Nationality Directorate Intelligence Service), NCIS (National Criminal Intelligence Service), Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), the Home Office, Europol, Kent Police, ACPO (Association of Chief Police Officers), Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Cabinet Office and the Intelligence Services.
	Other UK regional police forces (eg Merseyside and South Yorkshire) have received support from Reflex operations against organised immigration crime.
	In the SR2000 spending review, Reflex received 22.5 million over three years. A breakdown is set out in the table.
	
		
			 Agency 200102 200203 200304 
		
		
			 NCS(64) 3.4 4.0 4.8 
			 NCIS 0.8 1.3 1.4 
			 IND 1.5 1.7 1.9 
			 Security and Intelligence agencies 0.6 0.5 0.6 
			 Total 6.3 7.5 8.7 
		
	
	(64) CS figure includes additional project fund used to support operations by other agencies.
	An additional 20 million is being made available to support Reflex activities in 200304.

Public Lavatories (Sexual Activity)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his policy on sexual activity in public lavatories.

Paul Goggins: The Government believe that no-one should have to witness sexual activity in public lavatories. While the Government believe that current legislation does cover such activity, it is sympathetic to the aim of ensuring that there is no doubt that sexual activity in public toilets is unlawful. It has, therefore, tabled, during the Committee Stage in the House of Commons, amendments to Clause 67 of the Sexual Offences Bill, which proposes a new offence of sexual activity in a public lavatory, to make explicit that such behaviour is unlawful and to ensure that the offence will be workable in practice.

Rape

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether reports of drug rape since 2001 have involved the presence of a drug which had not before been known as a drug rape drug.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 16 September 2003
	A large number of sedative drugs (controlled and medicinal) could potentially be used to facilitate rape. The Forensic Science Service say that no new drug is being regularly detected in cases of drug rape reported to them over the last two years.

Rape

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether forensic medical examiners are in receipt of specific training about the symptoms and effects of drugs which have been used in rape cases.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 16 September 2003
	The Forensic Science Service (FSS) is developing a Toxicology Awareness module to be incorporated into Forensic Medical Examiner training, which is currently supplied by FSS. The aims of the module are to discuss case results specific to the police force concerned and compare these with national results, thereby raising general awareness.

Rape

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of forensic nurses in supporting rape complainants.

Caroline Flint: The Violence against Women Initiative under the Crime Reduction Programme has funded projects to provide support to victims of rape and sexual assault, and to find out what works in reducing attrition within the criminal justice system. One of these projects, St. Mary's Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Manchester, has trained a female nurse to conduct forensic examinations and provide evidence in court. The findings from the evaluation of this project are expected to be published at the end of this year.

Refugees

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether in the last six months refugee status has been granted to persons in respect of whom extradition proceedings had begun; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 18 September 2003
	Refugee status has been granted on one occasion in the last six months to a person who was the subject of extradition proceedings.

Removal Centre (Haslar)

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans there are for the development of the removal centre at Haslar.

Beverley Hughes: There are no plans at present to develop the removal centre at Haslar.

Removal Centre (Haslar)

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions have been held with Gosport borough council about the development of the removal centre at Haslar.

Beverley Hughes: No meetings have taken place with Gosport borough council about the development of the removal centre at Haslar. There are currently no plans to extend or develop Haslar.

Removal Centre (Haslar)

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what planning procedure and public consultation the Government propose to undertake with regard to development of the removal centre at Haslar.

Beverley Hughes: If we planned any development of the removal centre at Haslar, we would consult with the council and other interested parties at a very early stage. There are however no plans for any development or expansion at Haslar.

Reoffending

Keith Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders who have been placed on an Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme have re-offended during the course of the programme.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 11 September 2003
	The Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme was launched in 2001 to provide the courts with a tough community based programme designed to tackle persistent young offenders. It currently provides for approximately 3,500 young offenders a year at an annual cost of 21.5million. Additional funding of 2 million has been made available for national roll-out, providing for a total of 4,200 persistent young offenders annually from January 2004. The programme is being fully evaluated by Oxford University; the final report with an analysis of reconvictions is due in March 2004. It is not possible at present to provide a comprehensive answer to my hon. Friend's question.

Repeat Offending (Drugs)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of repeat offending among problem drug-misusing offenders there have been in each of the last six years.

Caroline Flint: Data are not collected in this way. But the New English and Welsh Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (NEW-ADAM) research programme, which involved interviewing and drug testing a sample of those arrested by the police in 19992000, reported that 15 per cent. of arrestees were classed as drug misusing repeat offenders (defined as arrestees who reported using heroin and/or cocaine or crack at least once a week who reported two or more income-generating offences per month).
	New nationally-representative measures of drug-related crime are being developed, including a new Arrestee Survey able to provide national estimates of drug-related crime, which commenced in September 2003 and replaces the NEW-ADAM research programme.

Road Safety

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many deaths there have been on roads in (a) 1997 and (b) 2002 as a result of people using a mobile telephone whilst driving.

David Jamieson: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested is not available as the official road casualty statistics which are collected by the police and reported to the Department using the STATS 19 accident report format does not currently include information on mobile phones.

Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the number of participants in the Seasonal Agricultural Workers' Scheme.

Beverley Hughes: The quota for the Seasonal Agricultural Workers' Scheme for 2003 is 25,000. We expect most of those places to be filled.

Security Industry Authority

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were employed by the Security Industry Authority on (a) 1 April and (b) 1 July.

Hazel Blears: The Security Industry Authority had 33 staff on 1 April 2003 and 35 staff on 1 July 2003. In each case the figures include 13 staff on secondment from government departments, mainly the Home Office.

Sentencing Powers (Juveniles)

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what circumstances courts can impose (a) a detention and training order and (b) any other custody-based sentence on juveniles aged under 15, who have been found guilty of breaching an anti-social behaviour order.

Paul Goggins: Where a juvenile aged 15 or more but under 18 breachesan anti-social behaviour order (ASBO), the youth court can impose any sentence up to and including a Detention and Training Order (DTO). No other custodial sentence is available for such cases. It is for the court to decide which sentence is appropriate, in the light of the young person's background, home surroundings and family circumstances.

Sexual Offences

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many people in (a) 2000, (b) 2001 and (c) 2002 were proceeded against in the UK for outraging public decency where this was the principal offence; and how many of these were found to be guilty;
	(2)  what the conviction rate was for persons proceeded against in the UK for outraging public decency where this was the principal offence, in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: The information requested, for England and Wales, is contained in the table.
	Figures for Scotland are a matter for the Scottish Office and those for Northern Ireland for the Northern Ireland Office.
	Statistics for 2002 will be published in December.
	
		Number of persons(65) proceeded against at magistrates' courts, found guilty at all courts and the conviction rate for the Common Law offence of Outraging public decency, England and Wales 1997 and 2001
		
			 Year Proceeded against Found guilty Conviction rate(66) (percentage) 
		
		
			 1997 47 13 28 
			 1998 42 28 67 
			 1999 86 26 30 
			 2000(67) 121 31 26 
			 2001 164 34 21 
		
	
	(65) These data are on the principal offence basis.
	(66) Persons found guilty at all courts as a percentage of persons proceeded against at magistrates' courtsas notified to the Home Office.
	(67) Staffordshire Police were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted at magistrates' courts in 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robus enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table.

Sexual Offences

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received on the effectiveness of the Sex Offenders Registry.

Paul Goggins: The purpose of the notification requirements of Part 1 of the Sex Offenders Act 1997 (commonly known as the Sex Offenders' Register) is that the police know the names and addresses of the most serious sex offenders living in their area. This is one of a number of tools which enable them to protect the public more effectively.
	We have received no specific representations on the effectiveness of the register. However, we receive a large number of letters on the Sex Offenders Act, which sometimes raise, among other issues, the effectiveness of the register as it applies in individual cases.
	The most useful measure of effectiveness for the 'register' itself is the level of compliance with the notification requirements. We estimate that nationally around 97 per cent. of offenders currently on the 'register' are complying fully with the notification requirements.

Shop Workers (Violence)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers on its campaign to try to prevent violence against shop workers.

Hazel Blears: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has accepted an invitation from the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW) to attend the launch of their National Respect for Shop Workers day which took place on 17 September 2003. Separate meetings are being held by Home Office Ministers with USDAW representatives.
	The Government are very grateful to USDAW for the work it has undertaken to raise awareness of this issue. We fully understand the detrimental effect crime against business has throughout the community and the damaging effect on people's lives, their businesses and their families. Any form of violence is totally unacceptable and should not be tolerated.

Somali Community

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what organisations representing the Somali community he has met in development of his Department's multi-ethnic policies.

Fiona Mactaggart: holding answer 15 September 2003
	A number of organisation representing the Somali community have met officials at the Immigration and Nationality Directorate or participated in Home Office research projects relating to asylum seekers and refugee integration.

Stewart Report

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what account he took of the recommendation of the Stewart Report that amplitude modulation around 16 Hz should be avoided in the commissioning of the new police TETRA telecommunications systems; and what assessment he has made of the implications of the information available on potential health problems arising from this system for the continued use of the system.

Hazel Blears: The Stewart report stated that as a precautionary measure, amplitude modulation around 16 Hz should be avoided, if possible, in future developments in signal coding. TETRA technology was already well established at the time the Stewart report was published.
	Expert advice was sought from the National Radiological Protection Board's independent Advisory Group on Non-ionising Radiation (AGNIR). The AGNIR experts concluded that it was unlikely that the special features of TETRA technology could pose a risk to health.
	In addition, as recommended by AGNIR, the Home Office has set up an extensive research programme on the potential health effects of TETRA. All results to date confirm that TETRA technology is safe. Further information is available on the Home Office website (www.homeoffice.gov.uk/docs/tetra.html).

Street Crime Courts

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effect of the establishment of designated street crime courts.

Christopher Leslie: I have been asked to reply.
	The Street Crime Initiative (SCI) was a co-ordinated inter-departmental and inter-agency response to escalating robbery figures early in 2002. The 70 designated courts were part of the contribution which the Court Service provided to the SCI.
	The 26 Crown Courts and 44 magistrates courts have been collecting and providing data to the Department on a monthly basis and the monitoring of the throughput of cases continues. Street crime cases are not fast tracked but special attention is given to them to avoid unnecessary delay. The latest data presented to the Prime Minster's Street Crime Action Group Meeting in July revealed that street crime cases were disposed of, on average, within 135 days, compared to 178 days in respect of non-street crime cases proceeding in the same courts. All courts were well within the Department for Constitutional Affairs' target for the Crown Court, which is that 78 per cent. of cases sent to them should be listed within 182 days.

Vehicle Crime

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on progress in meeting his target to reduce vehicle crime by 30 per cent. by 2004.

Hazel Blears: We have made significant progress towards meeting our target of reducing vehicle crime by 30 per cent. between 1999 and 2004. British Crime Survey estimates based on interviews in the year ended March 2003 (published in July 2003) show 2,366,000 vehicle crimes. This is a reduction of 576,000 offences (20 per cent.) against the 1999 baseline of 2,942,000 offences (published as British Crime Survey 2000).
	We recognise the importance of driving down vehicle crime still further, and a wide range of work is in progress to this end.

Vehicle Crime

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effect of the national publicity campaign to highlight how to avoid becoming a victim of vehicle crime.

Hazel Blears: The campaign, which is now in its fourth year, continues to achieve its objectives of successfully getting across to motorists key car crime prevention messages and engaging brand partners (that is, private companies and other organisations) to amplify those messages to their customers and staff.
	Research shows that 84 per cent. of those sampled recognised the vehicle crime prevention advertising when prompted and, of these, 88 per cent. claimed they made sure that nothing was left on view when they parked in a public place. These are very high rates. In addition, 19 brand partners have joined the campaign, undertaking marketing activity to a value of over 3.2 million and extending the reach of the campaign to an equivalent audience of 35 million people.

Vehicle Crime

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evaluation has been made of the impact of the pilot exercises, using the DVLA database to communicate car crime prevention measures.

Hazel Blears: The initiative was piloted in parts of Bristol, Coventry and Middlesbrough local authority areas for 12 weeks from 28 October 2002. Vehicle crime figures for the precise areas covered by the pilots are not available. But figures for larger areas covering central Bristol and Middlesbrough showed reductions of 22 per cent. and 23 per cent. respectively in the period November 2002-January 2003 when the pilots were running. Coventry's vehicle crime figures showed no change.
	Recipients of car crime prevention advice in the pilots were sent questionnaires seeking their views on the exercise. A total of 627 recipients responded and 95 per cent. of the responses were supportive. The Association of Chief Police Officers, the Local Government Association and the three local authorities involved all thought the initiative was worthwhile and should be expanded.

Voluntary Community Activities

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of (a) the number of people engaged in voluntary community activities and (b) the total number of man hours of voluntary community service delivered in each of the last seven years.

Fiona Mactaggart: The information is as follows:
	(a) The 2001 Home Office Citizenship Survey, published on 16 September 2003, provides the following information on voluntary and community activities, which include civic participation, informal volunteering, and formal volunteering. In the last 12 months 38 per cent. of people aged 16 and over in England and Wales engaged in civic participation (e.g. signing a petition, contacting public officials or elected representatives, attending a public meeting or rally or taking part in a public meeting or protest). This is equivalent to 15.9 million people. In the last 12 months 67 per cent. of people aged 16 and over in England and Wales volunteered informally (as individuals) at least once. This is equivalent to approximately 27.8 million people. In the last 12 months 39 per cent. of people aged 16 and over in England and Wales volunteered formally (through groups, clubs and organisations) at least once. This is equivalent to approximately 16.2 million people.
	(b) The 2001 Home Office Citizenship Survey shows that in 2001 the contribution of people aged 16 and over who volunteered informally at least once in the last 12 months in England and Wales totalled approximately 1.8 billion hours. The contribution of people aged 16 and over who volunteered formally at least once in the last 12 months in England and Wales totalled approximately 1.7 billion hours.
	These data are only available for 2001. Results from the 2003 Home Office Citizenship Survey will be available during 2004. Separate data, collected as part of the 1997 National Survey of Volunteering is not directly comparable to the findings of the 2001 Home Office Citizenship Survey.

West Mercia Constabulary

Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what total funding for West Mercia police was per head of population in each year since 1997 from (a) Government grant and (b) precept.

Hazel Blears: The funding of the police authority net budget per head of population in each year since 1997 from (a) Government grant and (b) precept was as follows:
	
		
		
			  Total funding per head of population from 
			  (a) Government grant (b) Precept 
		
		
			 199697 79.88 15.38 
			 199798 81.53 17.45 
			 199899 81.49 18.57 
			 19992000 85.48 20.52 
			 200001 91.09 26.13 
			 200102 94.09 27.62 
			 200203 97.42 37.50 
			 200304 100.79 42.88 
		
	
	Note:
	Funding includes Home Office police grant and Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) revenue support grant and national non domestic rates and Standard Standing Assessment (SSA) reduction grant, Crime Fighting Fund, Rural Grant, Airwave, Basic Command Unit (BCD) funding, Community Support Officer funding, special priority payments, DMA Expansion programme and capital grant.
	Sources:
	1. For population data (and police grant in 199394 and 199495) is the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy police statistics (Actuals to 200102 and Estimates 200203). Figures for 200304 are not yet available so the estimated population figure for 200203 has been used.
	2. For precept information is the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

West Mercia Constabulary

Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) community support officers, (b) street wardens and (c) neighbourhood wardens there are in (i) West Mercia constabulary and (ii) The Wrekin.

Hazel Blears: West Mercia Constabulary has recruited 10 Community Support Officers (CSOs) to date which are fully funded by the Home Office. By the end of this financial year, they will have recruited a further 45 CSOs, of which 30 are part-funded by the Home Office.
	The Wrekin is to be allocated 21 of the new CSOs of which six will be fully funded by Wrekin council and two by Wrekin Housing Trust.
	In the area covered by West Mercia Constabulary there are two Street Warden schemes with seven wardens between them and one Neighbourhood Warden scheme with two wardens. Of these nine wardens, two are deployed as Street Wardens in the Wrekin.

Vulnerable Witnesses

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 on the experience of vulnerable witnesses.

Paul Goggins: The Home Office has commissioned a consortium of researchers to conduct an evaluation of special measures for vulnerable and intimidated witnesses (VIWs). The aims of the research are: (1) to evaluate how well the special measures have been implemented throughout the criminal justice system (CJS); and (2) to examine the experience of VIWs before and after the implementation of special measures in Crown Courts. The latter was addressed using pre and post-implementation surveys. The pre-implementation survey was conducted in 2000 and published in 2001 (Home Office Research Findings 147). This report can be found on the Home Office website at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs/r147.pdf
	The post-implementation survey was conducted in 2003 and is currently being written-up. The survey work will help determine: whether the introduction of special measures has been accompanied by an increase in VIWs' satisfaction with the CJS, to what extent provisions for VIWs have changed with the implementation of special measures; and VIWs attitudes to the special measures. Home Office Research and Development Statistics expect to publish a full report next year.

Yarlswood

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the contracts made between his Department and all contractors relating to the (a) construction, (b) administration and operation and (c) insurance of the Yarlswood removal centre.

Beverley Hughes: The contract to design build and operate the Yarlswood Immigration Removal Centre was awarded to Group 4 Amey Immigration Ltd. (GAIL) following a competitive tender. Each contract has to be considered individually and a range of tests applied to ascertain if its disclosure would adversely affect the parties involved. At present, the contract is being amended to enable the refurbishment and revised operation of the centre. Once these amendments are finalised, I will ensure that a copy of the contract is placed in the Library in due course, provided that it meets the test above.

Youth Justice Board

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are employed by the Youth Justice Board; and what has been the percentage staff turnover in each of the last six years.

Paul Goggins: The Youth Justice Board currently employs 138 permanent staff. The percentage staff turnover in the five years since the Board was established, as calculated from September to September using the total staff numbers in post at the end of each 12-month period, has been 199899 (0 per cent.), 19992000 (3.7 per cent.), 200001 (15.5 per cent.), 200102 (17 per cent.) and 200203 (5.1 per cent.).

HEALTH

Abortions

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on psychological services provided to women who have had abortions.

Melanie Johnson: It is for primary care trusts, which commission abortion services, to consider whether psychological services should be available for women who have had an abortion. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' evidence-based guideline, The Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion (2000), considered the mental health implications of termination and concluded only a small minority of women experience any long term, adverse psychological consequences after abortion and that referral for further counselling should be available for those women.

Abortions

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research he has assessed into possible links between abortions and breast cancer.

Melanie Johnson: The Department funded the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' evidence-based guideline The Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion (2000). This stated that the available evidence on an association between induced abortion and breast cancer is inconclusive. Cancer Research UK is undertaking a study, which is considering the full range of potential risk factors for breast cancer. This is an important and complex international research project. We understand that Cancer Research UK intends to publish the work when it is available.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when the next review of targets in Accident and Emergency departments is scheduled to take place;
	(2)  whether he plans to change the guidelines on the four-hour access targets for accident and emergency departments.

Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Oxford, West and Abingdon (Dr. Harris) on 17 September 2003, Official Report, column 838W.

Acupuncture

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to propose statutory regulation of the acupuncture profession.

John Hutton: A working group has been established by the Department and the Prince of Wales's foundation for integrated health to develop recommendations for the statutory regulation of acupuncture. The working group is currently finalising its recommendations and is due to report shortly. A parallel working group is also finalising recommendations for the statutory regulation of herbal medicine. Following the publication of the working groups' reports, the Department will carry out a full public consultation on the statutory regulation of acupuncture and herbal medicine.

Agenda for Change

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department is planning to start implementing Agenda for Change nationwide.

John Hutton: The United Kingdom Health Departments, staff representative organisations and the national health service confederation agreed earlier this year that the new NHS pay system should be introduced in a number of early implementer sites from June 2003, with a view to implementing the new system nationally from October 2004 subject to any appropriate action that is needed to address any concerns arising from the early implementer phase.

Agenda for Change

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which trusts have been chosen to pilot Agenda for Change; and when the pilots are due to begin.

John Hutton: The following national health service trusts and primary care trusts were selected as 'early implementer' sites for the new NHS pay system. They began the process of implementation in June 2003:
	James Paget Healthcare NHS Trust
	Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospital NHS Trust
	City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Trust
	Papworth Hospital NHS Trust
	Aintree Hospitals NHS Trust
	Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust
	South West London and St. George's Mental Health NHS Trust
	West Kent NHS and Social Care Trust
	Herefordshire NHS Primary Care Trust
	Central Cheshire Primary Care Trust
	North East Ambulance Service NHS Trust
	East Anglian NHS Trust

Alcohol (Health Warnings)

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with regard to the displaying of health warnings on alcohol beverages.

Melanie Johnson: The Government are committed to ensuring that everyone has a right to know how much alcohol they are drinking and what the safe limits for consumption are. As part of the work to develop a national alcohol harm reduction strategy, the strategy unit is working closely with other Government Departments and will be looking at the most effective way of achieving this. The strategy is due to be published towards the end of 2003 and implemented from 2004.

Food Packaging

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the use of the phrase 'may contain nuts' on food packaging.

Melanie Johnson: I am advised that the Food Standards Agency (FSA) wish to see this type of phrase used responsibly on food labelsonly being used when strictly necessary and being worded in a manner that allows consumers with food allergies to make informed choices about what they eat. The FSA has held discussions with a wide range of interested parties and will shortly seek comments on an alternative phrase and guidance to industry.

Food Packaging

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to amend the regulations on allergy-related labelling on food.

Melanie Johnson: I have been advised by the Food Standards Agency that a new European Directive on allergen labelling of food is in the process of being finalised in Brussels. This will strengthen existing labelling legislation, helping to ensure that consumers are provided with comprehensive information about the ingredients of foods and that those with food allergies are able to identify products they may wish to avoid.

Alzheimer's Disease

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many Alzheimer's patients are in (a) private and (b) NHS care homes in the United Kingdom;
	(2)  how many Alzheimer's patients entered (a) private and (b) NHS care homes in the United Kingdom in each of the last three years;
	(3)  what the average care home costs were to the NHS for each Alzheimer's patient in each of the last three years;
	(4)  how much was spent by the NHS on care home costs for Alzheimer's disease patients in each of the last three years;
	(5)  how many (a) moderate and (b) severe Alzheimer's disease patients were diagnosed in the United Kingdom in each of the last three years.

Stephen Ladyman: Data are not collected on the number of people with Alzheimer's disease, in the population generally or in care homes in particular, or about the care home costs of people with Alzheimer's.
	Research evidence shows that about five per cent, of the population who are aged over 65 have dementia. This represents about 600,000 people in the United Kingdom. Alzheimer's disease causes up to 60 per cent. of cases of dementia.
	While data are not available specifically about care home costs for people with Alzheimer's, the average weekly fee for residential care in England at March 2003 was 336.50.

Alzheimer's Disease

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by the NHS on drug treatments for (a) moderate and (b) severe Alzheimer's disease patients in each of the last three years.

Stephen Ladyman: The table shows how much was spent, over the last three years, on drug treatments for mild to moderate and moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease. This data cover all prescription items that were dispensed in the community in England. This includes drugs that were prescribed in hospitals or clinics, which are dispensed in the community. However, the data do not include drugs that are dispensed in hospitals/clinics or private prescriptions.
	
		Number of prescription items (thousand) and net ingredient cost (000) of drugs used for dementia that are dispensed in the community in England, 200002
		
			  2000 2001 2002 
			 Drugs for dementia Prescriptionitems (thousand) Net ingredientcost (000) Prescriptionitems (thousand) Net ingredientcost (000) Prescriptionitems (thousand) Net ingredientcost (000) 
		
		
			  Drugs used for mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease 
			 Donepezil Hydrochloride 43.6 4,178.2 91.2 8,815.3 169.3 16,078.3 
			 Galantamine 0.2 13.6 11.3 880.2 31.1 2,469.9 
			 Rivastigmine 9.9 681.0 19.7 1,309.2 30.5 1,997.9 
			
			  Drugs used for moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease 
			 Memantine Hydrochloride 0.3 21.1 
			
			 All drugs for dementia 53.8 4,872.8 122.1 11,004.6 231.3 20,567.1 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The prescription information was obtained from the Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system and is based on a full analysis of all prescriptions dispensed in the community, ie by community pharmacists and appliance contractors, dispensing doctors, and prescriptions submitted by prescribing doctors for items personally administered in England. Total prescriptions include not only prescriptions originating from general medical practitioners in England but also from hospital doctors, nurses, and dentists, provided they were dispensed in the community. Also included are prescriptions written in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man but dispensed in England. The data do not cover drugs dispensed in hospital or private prescriptions.
	2. Drugs used for dementia are those defined in the British National Formulary (BNF) section 4.11 Drugs for dementia. Drugs used for dementia have been grouped into those used for mild to moderate and moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease in line with the NICE guidance on drugs for Alzheimers disease. Please refer to the NICE website at www.nice.org.uk for more details.
	3. Doctors, dentists or nurses write prescriptions on a prescription form. Each single item written on the form is counted as a prescription item.
	4. Net ingredient cost refers to the basic cost (which the dispenser is reimbursed) of the drug before discounts and does not include any dispensing costs or fees.
	Data Source:
	Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) data from the Prescription Pricing Authority (PPA).

Alzheimer's Disease

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what instructions have been offered to PCTs regarding drug prescribing practices for Alzheimer's disease patients.

Stephen Ladyman: In January 2001, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommended that donepezil (Aricept), rivastigmine (Exelon) and galantamine (Reminyl) should be made available on the national health service as one component of the management of those people with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease.
	Directions have been issued obliging health authorities and primary care trusts to provide appropriate funding for treatments recommended by NICE. The directions came into effect on 1 January 2002.

Anaesthetists

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) consultant and (b) other anaesthetists there were in England in each of the last five years.

John Hutton: The information requested is shown in the table.
	The number of consultants in anaesthetics (including intensive care) increased by 33.5 per cent., between September 1998 and March 2003.
	The total number of doctors in anaesthetics (including intensive care) increased by 21 per cent., between September 1998 and September 2002.
	
		Hospital, Public Health Medicine and Community Health Services (HCHS): Anaesthetists (including intensive care) by grade; September 1998 to March 2003 -- England(68)Numbers (headcount)
		
			  1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 March 2003 
		
		
			 All staff 6,817 7,010 7,264 7,680 8,233 n/a 
			 Consultant 2,978 3,168 3,322 3,595 3,874 3,977 
			 Associate Specialist/Staff Grade 625 681 754 817 885 n/a 
			 Registrar Group 1,629 1,621 1,646 1,686 1,758 n/a 
			 Senior House Officer 1,274 1,248 1,288 1,378 1,498 n/a 
			 House Officer 1 13 21 14 31 n/a 
			 Hospital Practitioner/Clinical Assistant 309 278 233 188 179 n/a 
			 Other Hospital grades 1 1 0 0 0 n/a 
			 Other CHS grades 0 0 0 2 8 n/a 
		
	
	(68) As at 30 September each year except for 2003, which is as at 31 March.
	n/anot available
	Source:
	Department of Health medical and dental workforce census.

Ancillary Services

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the rate of pay per hour is for (a) cleaners and (b) porters in each acute trust; and which of these trusts have contracted out (i) cleaning and (ii) portering services.

Stephen Ladyman: Rates of pay for cleaners and porters are not identified separately in the national health service staff earnings survey. Cleaners and porters directly employed by trusts are paid in accordance with national agreements reached by the ancillary staffs' Whitley Council or in accordance with agreements reached locally. The current Whitley rates of pay are set out in advance letter (ASC) 1/2003, a copy of which is available in the Library.
	On the subject of trusts where these services have been contracted out, I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave her today.

Ancillary Services

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which companies have contracts with NHS acute trusts for carrying out (a) cleaning and (b) portering services; which trusts have contracts with each company; what the commencement date of each contract was; and what the duration of the contract is in each case.

Stephen Ladyman: A number of companies have contracts with national health service acute trusts for the provision of domestic services.
	Information requested relating to each contractincluding the specific services provided and the durationis not collected centrally.

Anti-TNF Therapy

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason anti-TNF therapy is not available to patients in the Leicester area.

Stephen Ladyman: Tumour necrosis factor (TNF) therapy has been available to patients in the Leicestershire area since 2002, in line with the National Institute for Clinical Excellence timescale for implementation. It is provided by the University Hospitals of Leicester National Health Service Trust for those patients who meet the criteria which has been agreed by the Trust and the primary care trusts in the area.

Anti-TNF Therapy

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many requests for anti-TNF treatment he has received in the last 12 months.

Stephen Ladyman: We estimate that there has been around 170 letters from right hon. and hon. Members and the public on this subject. There have also been several Parliamentary Questions on anti-TNF therapy and there was an adjournment debate on the care and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in July.

Anti-TNF Therapy

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the cost of providing anti-TNF treatment per patient.

Stephen Ladyman: In their appraisal of these drugs, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence estimated the costs per patient using the Monthly Index of Medical Specialities, September 2001. Updated costs from the September 2003 edition show that Etanercept costs 178.75 per week when administered at a dose of 25 mg. twice weekly, equivalent to 9,295 per annum. Infliximab costs 451.20 per vial, equivalent to 12,182 in the first year and an average of 8,798 in subsequent years.

Antibiotic-resistant Infections

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many reports there were of antibiotic resistant E. coli in the NHS in (a) England, (b) each region and (c) each strategic health authority in each of the last six years.

Stephen Ladyman: Under a voluntary reporting scheme, the Health Protection Agency receives reports of E. coli blood stream infections with their susceptibility to antibiotics from microbiology laboratories in England and Wales. Gentamicin resistance is monitored because it is used to treat the more serious E. coli infections.
	Table 1 shows data on gentamicin resistance for England and Wales from 1997 to 1999. Data on gentamicin resistance in England, broken down by region, is available only from 2000. This is shown in table 2. Data by strategic health authority is not available.
	
		Table 1: Escherichia coli blood stream infections resistant to gentamicin: England and Wales, 1997 to 1999
		
			  Number resistant 
		
		
			  
			  
			 1997 132 
			 1998 161 
			 1999 175 
		
	
	
		Table 2: Escherichia coli blood stream infections resistant to gentamicin: England by region, 2000 to 2002
		
			  Number resistant 
			 Region 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			 Northern and Yorkshire(69) 12 28  
			 North East   8 
			 Northern and Humberside   45 
			 East Midlands 21 6 24 
			 Eastern 24 48 58 
			 London 45 30 67 
			 South East 37 54 64 
			 South West 17 20 31 
			 West Midlands 12 15 108 
			 North West 13 17 36 
			 Total 181 218 441 
		
	
	(69) Northern and Yorkshire was divided into two regionsNorth East and Yorkshire and Humbersidein 2002.
	Source:
	Health Protection AgencyCommunicable Disease Surveillance Centre.

Antibiotic-resistant Infections

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many reports of MRSA outside hospitals there were in (a) England, (b) each region and (c) each strategic health authority in each of the last six years.

Stephen Ladyman: A new national mandatory surveillance system for healthcare associated infection started with reporting of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) blood stream infections (bacteraemias), in April 2001. All acute trusts in England now collect this information and results for the first year of this scheme (April 2001 to March 2002) were published by individual trust in the Communicable Disease Report Weekly on 20 June 2002. They are available at www.phls.co.uk/publications/cdr/PDFfiles/2002/cdr2502.pdf.
	Information for 200203 will be published shortly.
	The data do not include information on where the infection was acquired (hospital or elsewhere). However, the majority of cases are acquired in hospital.

Antibiotic-resistant Infections

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of urinary tract infections resistant to antibiotics were recorded in the NHS in (a) England, (b) each region and (c) each strategic health authority in each of the last six years.

Melanie Johnson: This information is not held centrally.

Antibiotics

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many antibiotic and antimicrobial drugs were bought by the NHS in each of the last six years; and what the expenditure was on these drugs in each year.

Stephen Ladyman: There is currently no comprehensive national data available on the costs of antibiotic and antimicrobial drugs in the national health service.
	The number of prescription items and the associated net ingredient cost for anti-bacterial drugs (antibiotics), dispensed in the community in England from 1997 to 2002 is shown in the table.
	
		 million
		
			  Prescription items Net ingredient cost 
		
		
			 1997 46.4 172.0 
			 1998 42.6 163.0 
			 1999 38.6 177.1 
			 2000 36.9 172.2 
			 2001 37.9 162.8 
			 2002 37.0 164.4 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The prescription information was obtained from the Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system and is based on a full analysis of all prescriptions dispensed in the community, i.e. by community pharmacists and appliance contractors, dispensing doctors, and prescriptions submitted by prescribing doctors for items personally administered in England. Total prescriptions include not only prescriptions originating from general medical practitioners in England but also from hospital doctors, nurses, and dentists, provided they were dispensed in the community. Also included are prescriptions written in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man but dispensed in England. The data do not cover drugs dispensed in hospital or private prescriptions.
	2. Antibacterial drugs are those defined in the British National Formulary (BNF) section 5.1, Antibacterial drugs.

Antibiotics

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what studies he has assessed of a possible correlation between GP antibiotic prescribing levels and antibiotic resistance.

Stephen Ladyman: Prescribing of antimicrobials by general practitioners in England decreased by 16 per cent. between 1996 and 2002, but there is currently no system in place to link prescribing levels to antibiotic resistance.
	The Department is currently funding three research projects, which are investigating to link antimicrobial prescribing data to diagnosis and clinical outcome.

Ashford (Middlesex) Hospital

David Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what new buildings will be provided for the new treatment centre at Ashford (Middlesex) Hospital.

John Hutton: holding answer 18 September 2003
	It is proposed that existing facilities at Ashford Hospital be refurbished to provide an operating theatre and in-patient beds.

Asian Health Indicators

Ann Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the health indicators specific to the (a) Indian, (b) Bangladeshi and (c) Pakistani communities.

Rosie Winterton: The public assessment of the national health service through indicators is the responsibility of the Commission for Health Improvement the independent regulator of NHS performance.
	The Department's strategy for meeting the needs of minority ethnic communities is to set action on race equality within the overall framework for planning and delivering the Department's priorities. The Department has a detailed programme of work under way to take forward our race equality commitments and has strengthened the arrangements for supporting and accounting for progress on race equality.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many individuals have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Stephen Ladyman: This information is not collected centrally. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence appraisal of the use of methylphenidate in treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) estimated the prevalence of all types of ADHD at around 5 per cent. of school-aged children, approximately 345,000 of six to 16-year-olds in England.

Autistic Spectrum Disorders

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of using coloured spectacle lenses in the treatment of children with autistic spectrum disorders.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 9 September 2003
	There is currently little evidence in this area and we are not aware of any widely accepted benefits to specific groups such as children on the autistic spectrum. We will, however, continue to consider the issue as evidence becomes available.

Batten's Disease

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what funding has been given to research of Batten's Disease; and how many children he estimates have the condition;
	(2)  what steps his Department has taken to increase the awareness among (a) general practitioners and (b) other health professionals of Batten's Disease.

Stephen Ladyman: The main agency through which the Government support medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC has large current portfolios on neurological disorders and genetics. However, none of this research is specifically into Batten's disease. Nevertheless, this work includes a considerable amount of underpinning research that may be of relevance. The MRC has funded some research on Batten's disease in the past and currently carries out work on the main symptoms of the disease.
	Information on the number of children with Batten's disease is not collected centrally.
	The Department has for many years provided section 64 funding to Climb (Children Living with Inherited Metabolic Diseases), a voluntary organisation which provides information, advice and support to children suffering from metabolic diseases, including Batten's disease, and their families, as well as educating health care professionals. Climb is currently in receipt of a project grant for 63,220 over the period from 200203 to 200506.

Breast Cancer

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his Answer of 1 September 2003, Official Report, column 926W, on breast cancer, how many patients aged 85 years and over underwent surgery in (a) 2000 and (b) 2002.

Melanie Johnson: The number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) for breast cancer surgery for patients aged 85 and over in national health service hospitals in England is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Number of finished consultant episodes 
		
		
			 19992000 895 
			 200001 1,045 
			 200102 1,012 
		
	
	Source:
	Hospitals Episode Statistics Department of Health

Bureaucracy

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many clinically-trained (a) nurses and (b) midwives are working in an administrative position within the NHS.

John Hutton: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Cancelled Operations

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many operations were cancelled at Willesden Community Hospital, London, in the last quarter for which figures are available; what percentage of the cancelled operations were consequently carried out within four weeks; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many operations were cancelled at (a) Darent Valley Hospital, Dartford and (b) West Middlesex Hospital, London in the last quarter for which figures are available; what percentage of the cancelled operations were subsequently carried out within four weeks; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: The Department collects quarterly data on 'last minute' cancelled operations for non-clinical reasons at Trust level (i.e. patients cancelled on the day of admission, after admission, or on the day of surgery). Figures for the first quarter of 200304 were published on 11 September 2003. Data by individual hospital sites are not collected.
	The percentage of cancelled operations that were consequently carried out within four weeks cannot be calculated from the data available. However, data are available for the number of patients who were not treated within four weeks of a last minute cancellation as part of the central data collection arrangements for the NHS Plan cancelled operations guarantee. These data are shown in the table for the respective NHS Trusts for Darent Valley Hospital, Dartford; West Middlesex Hospital, London; and Willesden Community Hospital, London.
	
		
			  Quarter 1, 200304 
			  Number of last minute cancellations for non-acute clinical reasons Number of patients not admitted within 28 days of a last minute cancellation 
		
		
			 Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust 37 0 
			 West Middlesex University NHS Trust 20 1 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 178 0 
		
	
	Note:
	The NHS Plan stated that From 2002, when a patient's operation is cancelled by the hospital on the day of surgery for non clinical reasons, the hospital will have to offer another binding date within a maximum of the next 28 days or fund the patient's treatment at the time and hospital of the patient's choice. From April 2003, the cancelled operations guarantee was extended to apply to cancellations that occur on or after the day of admission.

Cancer Care

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what targets have been set for patients with cancer having pre-planned and pre-booked care; what the baseline is for the target; in which document the target was published; and what progress has been made towards the target.

Melanie Johnson: The NHS Cancer Plan, published in September 2000, said that the cancer services collaborative would make booking of cancer services a priority, so that by 2004 every patient diagnosed with cancer will benefit from pre-planned and pre-booked care. The NHS Modernisation Agency's cancer services collaborative and the national booked admissions programme are working with national health service trusts to establish booking systems across the NHS by 2005 and to develop systems for monitoring the booking of cancer patients by 2004 within this wider target.

Care Homes

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many care home beds were available in (a) the public sector and (b) the independent sector in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: The latest information available on the number of care home places available in the public sector and the independent sector is shown in the table for 1997 to 2001. Figures for later years have been collected by the National Care Standards Commission; it plans to publish them this autumn.
	
		Number of care home places by type of home, England 1997 to 2001 -- Rounded numbers
		
			 As at 31 March Total all homes(70) Local authority staffed Independent(70),(71) 
		
		
			 1997 534,410 65,820 468,590 
			 1998 553,490 63,980 489,510 
			 1999 546,190 59,030 487,160 
			 2000 539,240 55,460 483,780 
			 2001 528,000 50,860 477,150 
		
	
	(70) Includes dual registered homes.
	(71) Includes voluntary, private and small residential homes, all nursing homes, private hospitals and clinics.
	Source:
	RA form A and RH(N) 19982001 (KO36 1997).

Care Homes

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) domiciliary care agency employees, (b) nursing agency employees and (c) care home owners and managers have been convicted of an offence against an elderly resident in a care home in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 17 September 2003
	The Department does not hold information on the number of domiciliary care agency employees, nursing agency employees and care home owners or managers who have been convicted of an offence against older residents in care homes.
	Under the Care Standards Act 2000, rigorous checks are required on providers, managers and staff of care establishments and agencies, to ensure their suitability to work with vulnerable people and protect these people from neglect or abuse. Regulations made under the Act included requirements for staff to undergo criminal record checks through the Criminal Records Bureau.

Care Homes

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Department has for further regulation of the long-term care sector.

Stephen Ladyman: We announced on 9 September that certain regulations would be amended from 1 October 2003, requiring Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks for new domiciliary care staff or nurses agency staff.
	The regulations will require existing domiciliary care staff to complete their enhanced CRB checks by 31 October 2004.
	Regulations to require checks for existing nursing staff will be introduced once the CRB has made good progress with completing the checks on existing domiciliary and existing care home staff.
	We are proposing to regulate adult placement schemes rather than adult placement carers. We will be consulting later this year on our proposals.
	This Government has made it clear in the past that the care homes regulations would be continuously monitored and it has always been our intention that these regulations would be reviewed by April 2005.

Care Homes

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking in conjunction with the Department for Work and Pensions to reduce the number of job vacancies within the care home sector;
	(2)  what plans the Department has to assist care homes in (a) maintaining staffing levels and (b) undertaking Criminal Records Bureau checks prior to employment.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department is aiming to reduce vacancy rates and encourage new entrants into the workforce through a national social care recruitment campaign. The campaign is raising awareness of the social care work force and there will be further media and television advertising in January 2004.
	The Department is working closely with Job Centre Plus to raise awareness of the diversity of roles within social care and the training available. Job Centre Plus is represented on the Department's stakeholder group, which has responsibility for the recruitment campaign and wider social care workforce issues.
	To meet the regulatory requirements on appropriate staffing levels and skill mix in care homes, providers must take into account the assessed needs of their residents. They must also ensure that staff are of integrity and good character by carrying out a number of rigorous pre-employment checks including a Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) check.
	The National Care Standards Commission, as the independent regulator has stated clearly that it will continue to exercise its powers wisely and where CRB clearances are not in place will continue to apply its discretion on the use of its enforcement powers on a case-by-case basis.

Care Homes

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research he has commissioned into (a) the cost of temporary agency nurses and care assistants for the care home sector in comparison with the cost of direct employment and (b) the consequences for the care homes sector of any difference in cost.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department has not commissioned research into the costs of temporary agency nurses and care assistants for the care home sector.
	Staffing levels are a matter for care home providers. To meet the regulatory requirements on staffing levels and skill mix in care homes, providers take into account the assessed needs of their residents and recruit accordingly. Providers are required to ensure that all their staff are of integrity and good character by carrying out a number of rigorous pre-employment checks including a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check.
	The National Care Standards Commission as the independent regulator has the responsibility to ensure care homes meet all their statutory requirements. They have stated clearly that they will continue to exercise their powers wisely and where CRB clearances are not in place will apply their discretion on the use of their enforcement powers on a case by case basis.

Care Homes

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations his Department has received from care home owners concerning the impact of the reintroduction of the requirement for new staff to have a Criminal Records Bureau check; and what response he has made.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 18 September 2003
	The Department has received 40 letters from right hon. and hon. Members and three letters from care homes' umbrella organisations about the withdrawal of the National Care Standards Commission's (NCSC) interim guidance. Officials have discussed the issue with
	organisations representing care homes. Since 1 April 2002, all new staff in care homes have been required to obtain a satisfactory Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check as part of their pre-employment checks. However, initial difficulties experienced by the CRB in dealing with the level of demand for checks led to delays. In response to this, in June 2003, the NCSC issued interim guidance on how to deal with recruitment of care home staff while steps were taken to improve the CRB's performance.
	Following significant improvements made at the CRB the NCSC rightly decided to look again at its guidance. However, I should emphasise that the NCSC has stated that it will continue to exercise its powers wisely and, where CRB clearances are not in place, will continue to apply its discretion on the use of its enforcement powers on a case by case basis.

Care Homes

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the reasons why the National Care Standards Commission has decided to enforce the regulations empowering Criminal Records Bureau checks on new staff working in the long term care sector as from 1 October 2003; on what basis the period of time given to phase in this change was selected; and what assessment he has made of the impact the introduction of checks will have on care homes.

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what study his Department has conducted concerning the practical implications for the private care homes sector of the planned enforcement from 1 October 2003 of regulations requiring staff working in care homes to have a Criminal Records Bureau check completed before starting work; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 15 September 2003
	From 1 April 2002, when the Care Homes Regulations came into force, care home providers have been required to undertake a number of pre-employment checks, including a Disclosure from the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB), before new staff can take up their position.
	Following significant improvements made at the CRB since last summer, the CRB is now processing 90 per cent. of applications within four weeks. The National Care Standards Commission (NCSC) rightly decided to look again at its guidance because there will now be fewer circumstances in which it will need to make allowance for delayed checks.
	As the independent regulator, the NCSC has the responsibility to ensure care homes meet all their statutory requirements. It has stated clearly that it will continue to exercise its powers wisely and where CRB clearances are not in place, it will apply their discretion on the use of its enforcement powers on a case-by-case basis.
	The NCSC issued a press release on 22 September 2003 setting out its approach to CRB checks for care home staff. A copy is available on the NCSC's website at: www.carestandards.org.uk

Catheter-associated Infection

Laura Moffatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the impact on the NHS of catheter-associated infection in relation to vancomycin resistant enterocci.

Melanie Johnson: This information is not available centrally.
	Voluntary surveillance data 1 show that almost two-thirds of blood stream infections of known origin were associated with an intravascular device or device-related infections, such as a catheter associated urinary tract infection.
	The second phase of the mandatory surveillance scheme for healthcare associated infection was recently introduced. From 1 September 2003, trusts will report blood stream infections due to glycopeptide resistant enterococci (including vancomycin resistant enterocci) and serious untoward incidents associated with infection.
	1 Public Health Laboratory Service. Nosocomial Infection National Surveillance Service. Surveillance of hospital acquired bacteraemia in English hospitals. 19972002.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance the NHS has issued to ensure that clinicians are fully informed in how to deal with patients presenting with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 16 September 2003
	We have issued no guidance to the National Health Service on the treatment of patients with cronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME).
	We are, however, taking steps to improve services for patients with this condition. On 12 May, we announced funding of 8.5 million that will be used to develop services for people with CFS/ME. In July, health organisations were invited to bid for development funds to set up centres of expertise to develop clinical care, support clinical research and expand education and training programmes for health care professionals and to establish satellite community multidisciplinary teams. The first phase of development will start in April 2004.

Chronic Pain

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the cost to public funds of (a) treatment, (b) sickness absence and (c) lost production relating to chronic pain in England.

John Hutton: The Department has not estimated the cost to public funds of treatment, absence, or lost productivity because of chronic pain and has no plans to carry out such a study.

Clatterbridge Hospital

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on proton therapy facilities at Clatterbridge Hospital.

Melanie Johnson: The Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology (CCO) currently has access to the Douglas Cyclotron Facility, which produces protons of 62MeV. This particular piece of equipment was developed by the Medical Research Council in 1984 to undertake studies into neutron therapy but was later modified in association with the Imperial Cancer Research Fund to provide proton therapy of eye tumours.
	The CCO became responsible for this facility in 1991. It provides ocular oncology services in association with four national referring centres, the main one of which is the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, in addition to centres in London, Glasgow and Sheffield.

Consultancies

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many consultancies were commissioned by his Department in the last two years for which figures are available; and what the cost of those contracts was.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department does not hold centrally a record of individual contracts. However, our financial records show the following figures as the payments made to consultancies for the last two complete financial years.
	
		
			 Financial year  million 
		
		
			 200001 6.53 
			 200102 6.8

Contact Lenses

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what action he is taking to warn children of the dangers associated with swapping contact lenses;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the General Optical Council proposals to restrict sale of contact lenses to registered opticians and doctors;
	(3)  what action he is taking to encourage contact lens users to seek proper advice before purchase and to attend regular check-ups thereafter;
	(4)  what action he is taking to (a) encourage and (b) compel organisations that sell non-prescription contact lenses to (i) advise purchasers of their suitability for lenses and (ii) provide them with adequate information on care and hygiene;
	(5)  what assessment he has made of the link between (a) microbial keratitis, (b) acanthamoeba, (c) poor colour perception, (d) reduced binocular vision and (e) damage to the surface of the cornea and the use of non-prescription contact lenses;
	(6)  what action he is taking to ensure that the sale of non-prescription contact lenses is effectively monitored;
	(7)  what assessment he has made of the long-term effects on eye health of using non-prescription contact lenses;
	(8)  what plans he has to reclassify contact lenses as medical devices.

Rosie Winterton: We plan to regulate the sale of non-prescription cosmetic contact lenses to ensure that outlets selling them have professional optical supervisory arrangements to ensure that advice is available to purchasers, whether adults or children, on use of these lenses. A public consultation is due to take place this year as part of the parliamentary process. Detailed rules for the professional optical supervisory arrangements will be developed to implement the regulations.
	Although the Department has made no specific assessment of the links between certain eye conditions and the use of non-prescription contact lenses, it is widely recognised that prescription contact lens wearers are more at risk of eye infections if they over-wear their lenses, adopt poor hygiene or smoke. It is reasonable to assume that similar risks apply to people wearing non-prescription lenses and that the lack of professionally supervised advice may put them at greater risk.
	For prescription contact lenses, the Contact Lens Rules 1988 require that they be provided by General Optical Council registered opticians who also provide the necessary instruction and information to the person fitted on the care, wearing, treatment, cleaning and maintenance of such lenses and also provide the clinical management and adjustment of the fitting of the lenses for a period of six months from the date of first fitting.
	Powered contact lenses are classified as medical devices but plano lenses have no corrective function or medical purpose and are not considered to be a medical device. There are no plans to reclassify them as such.

Coronary Disease

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Government has to research possible links between malfunctioning LOX-1 genes and cardiac arrest.

Melanie Johnson: The Medical Research Council (MRC) supports a range of research into cardiac arrest including ways of targeting genes in vascular disease, but does not have any projects targeting LOX-1 at the present time. The MRC always welcomes high quality applications for support into any aspect of human health and these are judged in open competition with other demands on funding.
	The Department and the Department of Trade and Industry are investing around 15 million to support the development of five genetics knowledge parks over five years. The knowledge parks will carry out research into the genetic components of major diseases, including cardiovascular disease.

Coronary Disease

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research the Government have undertaken into the link between tooth loss and subclinical atherosclerosis.

Melanie Johnson: To date, the Government have not commissioned any research into the links between tooth loss and subclinical atherosclerosis, although we are aware of some recent research on this topic.

Coronary Disease

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what health advice his Department has issued for people at risk of coronary heart disease.

Melanie Johnson: The Department attaches great importance to preventing coronary heart disease.
	The priorities and planning framework for 200306 includes targets for reducing the incidence of coronary heart disease. One of these requires practice-based registers for patients with coronary heart disease and diabetes, with systematic treatment regimes, including advice on diet physical activity and smoking. This covers the majority of patients at high risk of coronary heart disease, particularly those with hypertension, diabetes and a body mass index greater than 30.
	Programmes are also in place to tackle the risk factors for coronary heart disease in the general population. These take a life-course approach and focus on improvements to diet and nutrition, reducing excess weight and obesity, increasing physical activity and reducing the prevalence of smoking.

Cosmetic Surgery

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to conduct a review of cosmetic surgery practice in England and Wales.

John Hutton: We announced in early 2002 that there would be a review of the effectiveness of the national minimum standards for the qualifications of cosmetic surgeons in England who were not on the specialist register of the General Medical Council and had been in practice before 1 April 2002.
	The National Care Standards Commission (NCSC) submitted a report to the Chief Medical Officer in July of this year on the findings from inspections carried out in its first year of operation of establishments where such surgeons worked. This report can be found on the NCSC website at www.carestandards.org.uk.
	A further more comprehensive report on inspections so far is scheduled for this autumn.

Decorative Greenery

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on decorative greenery in the Department of Health in each of the past three financial years.

Stephen Ladyman: Within the Department's administrative estate, the provision of decorative greenery comes within the contract for cleaning services.
	The cost of providing decorative greenery within the past three financial years has been:
	
		
			   
		
		
			 200001 18,471.49 
			 200102 16,179.57 
			 200203 12,168.37

Deep Vein Thrombosis

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the percentage of people diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis who had taken a long haul flight in the preceding week in each year since 1997;
	(2)  what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on travel-related deep vein thrombosis, with particular reference to the use of compression hosiery as a preventative measure; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what guidance his Department has given to long haul air travellers on deep vein thrombosis.

Melanie Johnson: Hospital episodes statistics can provide data on numbers of admissions with a primary diagnosis relating to deep vein thrombosis (DVT). However, no information is available to assess how many of these were for patients who had undertaken a long haul flight within the preceding week.
	DVT is linked to older age, cancer, trauma, surgery, long periods of immobilisation, oral contraception, pregnancy and a number of conditions related to hyperactive blood clotting.
	The Department has not commissioned any specific research on the use of compression hosiery as a preventative measure for DVT, although we are aware of existing research in this area.
	In 2001 the Department of Health issued information and advice to the airlines and the public about minimising the risk of DVT during long journeys. This included practical advice for air passengers on long haul flights. It also identified certain groups which may be at a higher risk of DVT and advised them to seek medical advice before travelling and described simple in-seat exercises that should be recommended to all air passengers.
	To maximise access for the public to this information and advice it is available through health services, on the internet at http://www.doh.gov.uk/dvtA from the airlines and from NHS Direct. It will be kept under review in the light of new research information.

Dementia

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Crosby (Mrs. Curtis-Thomas) of 8 September 2003, Official Report, column 179W, on dementia, if he will start a routine collection of information at local level.

Stephen Ladyman: There are no plans to start a routine data collection.

Dental Students

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many students were in dental school in (a) 1983, (b) 1987, (c) 1992, (d) 1997 and the latest year for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the intake of pre-clinical dental students from 199091 up to 200203, the latest year for which figures are available, is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Intake 
		
		
			 199293 631 
			 199798 668 
			 200203 696 
		
	
	We are currently undertaking a review of the dental workforce, including the number of undergraduate places in dental schools. The review will be published by the end of this year.

Dentistry

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the number of (a) children and (b) adults waiting to register with an NHS dentist in Shrewsbury and Atcham.

Stephen Ladyman: This information is not held centrally.

Dentistry

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children received NHS dental treatment in Shrewsbury and Atcham in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: For the general dental service (CDS) the available information is for children's registrations, which cover children aged under 18 years seen by a dentist within the past 15 months. This information is at health authority level between 1998 and 2002 and primary care trust (PCT) level for 2002 and 2003.
	The first table shows the number of children's registrations in Shropshire Health Authority and the Shropshire County PCT and Telford and Wrekin PCT areas between 1998 and 2003.
	In addition, children were also seen for treatment in the community and personal dental services. The numbers are shown in the second table.
	
		General Dental Service: Number of children's registrationsin Shropshire health authority area and PCT areabetween 1998 and 2003 -- Number of patients registered (thousand)
		
			  Shropshire County PCT Shropshire HA Telford and Wrekin PCT 
		
		
			 30 September
			 1998  66.5  
			 1999  67.4  
			 2000  67.4  
			 2001  65.8  
			 At 31 August
			 2002  66.9  
			 At 30 September
			 2002 39.9  26.8 
			 At 30 June
			 2003 39.4  27.0 
		
	
	
		
			  Number seen/treated 
		
		
			 199899 4,200 
			 19992000 3,200 
			 200001 3,500 
			 200102 3,100 
			 200203 1,200 
		
	
	Source:
	Dental Practice Board

Dentistry

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the availability of NHS dentistry on the Wirral.

Melanie Johnson: The information requested in shown in the table.
	
		
			 Strategic Health Authority/Primary Care Trust England Cheshire and Merseyside SHA Bebington and West Wirral PCT Birkenhead and Wallasey PCT Total of thetwo PCTs 
		
		
			 Number of registrations 
			 Adults (72)168 (73)915.3 (73)54.2 (73)88.4 (73)142.6 
			 Children (72)6.7 (73)332.6 (73)16.3 (73)31.1 (73)47.4 
			 Total (72)23.5 (73)1,247.9 (73)70.5 (73)119.5 (73)190.0 
			 Number of GDS dentists3 
			 All dentists 18,335 837 46 82 128 
			 Principals 16,401 765 44 70 114 
			 Assistants 1,347 42 1 4 5 
			 Vocational Dental Practitioners 587 30 1 8 9 
			 Number of persons per dentist(75) 2,682 2,799 2,586 2,357 2,439 
			 Number of registrations per dentist 1,283 1,491 1,532 1,457 1,484 
			 Registration rate(75)(%) 48.0 53.3 59.2 61.8 60.8 
		
	
	(72) Millions
	(73) Thousands
	(74) Some dentists have contracts in more than one Primary Care Trust. These dentists have been counted only once in the PCT in which they hold their main contract.
	(75) For population, mid year ONS population estimates based on the 2001 census have been used for England. Mid-year 2001 resident relevant population estimates based on GP patients registration data and constrained by ONS census based population for 2001 have been used for SHA and PCTs
	Source:
	Dental Practice Board

Dentistry

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's strategy is for (a) maintaining and (b) increasing participation levels of dentists in the NHS.

Rosie Winterton: A national health service support team is being set up to support those primary care trusts (PCTs) and practices which are under greatest pressure. The team will provide advice and guidance on best practice in increasing access and modernising dentistry locally, backed by 3 million support funds in 200304 and 6 million in 200405 to tackle particularly acute or longstanding bottlenecks.
	The Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Bill, currently before Parliament, proposes new duties for PCTs to secure the provision of primary dental services and the financial resources to do so. The proposals in this Bill will underpin a modernised high-quality primary dental service provided through contracts between PCTs and dental practices properly integrated with the rest of the NHS.

Diabetes

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of diabetics were offered screening for diabetic retinopathy in the last year for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: These data were not collected prior to April 2003. Since this date, information on screening for diabetic retinopathy is being collected from the national health service. Annual figures will not be available until May 2004.

Diabetes

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the NHS is taking to develop support and promote the management of insulin-dependent diabetics by means of dose adjustment for normal eating.

Rosie Winterton: Dose adjustment for normal eating (DAFNE) is an educational programme aimed at people with type 1 diabetes to enable them to take better control of their diabetes and to teach them how to adjust their insulin injections to fit their life and food rather than the other way around. The Department provided 500,000 to support the development of the DAFNE programme in the financial year 200203. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence has recommended that structured education be offered to all people with diabetes at the time of diagnosis and then, as required, based on a formal, regular assessment of need. They also considered that the DAFNE programme may be a suitable option for individuals with type 1 diabetes, being one means of enabling people to self-manage this condition.

Diabetes

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average intervals were between follow-up appointments at diabetic clinics in each primary care trust in the last year for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not collected or recorded centrally.

Diagnostic and Treatment Centres

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what basis certain geographical areas were selected to participate in the procurement programme for diagnostic and treatment centres.

John Hutton: In autumn 2002, the national health service undertook a national capacity planning process lead by local NHS commissioners. This identified a range of capacity gaps that needed to be met for the NHS to meet the waiting time target set for 2005. Where the NHS was not able to demonstrate robust plans to meet this demand, the residual activity was tested with the independent sector.

Diagnostic and Treatment Centres

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what role Augmentis has played in the process of developing diagnostic and treatment centres.

John Hutton: To facilitate the procurement process for independent sector treatment centres, the Department has offered central project management and commercial support to local national health service sponsors to help them in this new and innovative programme.
	Augmentis was one of the companies that was successful in the competitive tendering process that was run to identify suitable project support.

Diagnostic and Treatment Centres

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's estimates were of the savings from operations carried out at NHS diagnostic and treatment centres; and how far these have been borne out by experience.

John Hutton: holding answer 16 September 2003
	The purpose of National Health Service treatment centres is to provide additional capacity to treat more patients more quickly, in a modern streamlined environment. Treatment centres were not set up with the express aim of saving money, although evidence from other countries shows that they are likely to be a cost-effective and safe way of undertaking many operations. They have, however, already begun to make an important contribution to cutting waiting times for treatment.

Diagnostic and Treatment Centres

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements have been made to provide residential accommodation for staff from overseas who are to work in private sector diagnostic and treatment centres.

John Hutton: holding answer 18 September 2003
	Additional overseas staff working in independent sector treatment centres will be employed by the independent sector providers running these new units. They will be responsible for providing residential accommodation for these staff should that be necessary.

Diagnostic and Treatment Centres

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his estimate is of the number of professional staff who will be employed in private sector diagnostic and treatment centres; and how many of them will be on secondment from the NHS.

John Hutton: holding answer 18 September 2003
	The precise number of professional staff working in these new units will be finalised in the next stage of negotiations leading to contract close.

Diet

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many five-a-day co-ordinators are employed in each NHS trust;
	(2)  how many five-a-day project co-ordinators have been appointed in each primary care trust.

Melanie Johnson: Sixty-six primary care trusts (PCTs) are part of a programme being funded by the lottery-funded new opportunities fund to lead five-a-day initiatives in their communities to employ a local co-ordinator. By 15 September, 46 of these 66 co-ordinators had been appointed; the other 20 PCTs expect to appoint by the end of the year. In addition one PCT receives a grant from the new opportunities fund to employ seven full-time and three part-time regional co-ordinators and one part-time supra-regional co-ordinator.
	All PCTs lead in their communities on public health issues, including healthy eating projects to increase fruit and vegetable consumption supported by local five-a-day co-ordinators.
	Information is not collected centrally on such projects or support staff.

Diet

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the population (a) in total and (b) under the age of 18, broken down by social class, has been classified as obese in each of the past 10 years.

Melanie Johnson: Information is not available in the form requested. Available information on adult obesity by social class is shown in the table. Figures are from the health survey for England and cover years 1994, 1996, 1998, and 2001.
	
		Prevalence of adult obesity by survey year and social class,aged 16 and over with a valid height and weight measurement
		
			  Social class of Head of Household 
			 Survey I II IIIN IIIM IV V Total 
			 year % % % % % % % 
		
		
			 Men
			 1994 9.9 13.7 13.8 15.1 15.0 14.0 13.8 
			 1996 11.8 16.6 16.3 18.9 14.7 18.2 16.4 
			 1998 11.9 16.5 16.5 20.5 16.1 17.9 17.3 
			 2001 14.5 20.8 18.9 23.5 23.4 19.0 21.0 
			  Women  
			 1994 11.5 14.4 15.0 19.7 21.9 22.5 17.3 
			 1996 13.2 15.2 16.0 21.3 22.1 27.1 18.4 
			 1998 15.1 18.4 18.9 24.4 24.9 27.5 21.2 
			 2001 14.1 19.7 21.5 27.0 30.5 28.5 23.5 
		
	
	Trend information on children's obesity by social class is not available. Young people aged 1618 are classified as adults. The following analyses therefore cover children under age 16. Social class comparisons of the percentage of children in BMI quintiles were published in the Health Survey for EnglandThe Health of Young People 9597 table 3.15, a copy of which is available in the Library. Overall trends show that obesity in children is rising. Although there is no generally accepted consensus on the definition of obesity in childhood, all recent studies, no matter which definition is used, have shown that the prevalence of obesity is increasing in children in England.
	
		Health survery of England: obesity prevalence trends among English children aged 615
		
			  1996 2001 
		
		
			  
			  
			 Percentage obese(76) 12.1 15.6 
		
	
	(76) Equal to or greater than 95 BMI centile (Cole TJ, Freeman JV, and Preece MA. Body mass index reference curves for the UK, 1990. Arch. Dis. Child. 1995; 73: 2529).

Diet

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the percentage of food advertising that is broadcast during children's television viewing times on (a) terrestrial television and (b) cable and satellite children's television channels; and what assessment he has made of the percentage of food advertising broadcast during children's television viewing times on (i) terrestrial and (ii) cable and satellite children's television channels that is promoting high calorie, low nutrient foods.

Melanie Johnson: The Food Standards Agency have funded an independent expert review of the evidence regarding the effect of promotional activity on children's eating behaviour, which covers television advertising and will identify research papers on a range of relevant topics.

Diet

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take powers to restrict the use of free toys and well-known children's film and television characters in the promotion of fast food to children.

Melanie Johnson: The Food Standards Agency is currently considering the issue of the promotion of food to children. They have funded an independent expert review of the evidence regarding the effect of promotional activity on children's eating behaviour, which will be published this autumn.

Diet

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what booklets the Food Standards Agency published on healthy eating in (a) 200001, (b) 200102 and (c) 200203.

Melanie Johnson: In 200001, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) re-branded booklets it inherited from the Health Education Authority and the Department on healthy eating.
	In 200102, the FSA published the following life stage leaflets on healthy eating entitled: While you are pregnant; Thinking of having a baby; Breastfeeding; Feeding your baby; Feeding your toddler; Feeding your growing child; Eating for later in life; and Men and food.
	In 200203, the FSA published a series of leaflets: Healthy Eating Sugars; Healthy Eating Salt; Healthy Eating Fats; and Labelling claims.

Diet

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what foods the chemical acrylamide is present in; and what research has been done into the effects of acrylamide on health.

Melanie Johnson: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that acrylamide has been found to occur in a wide range of home-cooked and processed foods. These include chips, crisps, bread and breakfast cereals. It has not been found in uncooked or boiled foods, and appears to be formed during cooking by methods such as frying, roasting and baking, which involve higher temperatures.
	Acrylamide has been shown to cause various types of cancer in laboratory animals. It is considered to have the potential to cause cancer in humans. Research into the effects of acrylamide on health is being conducted nationally and internationally.

Diet

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the additives permitted in (a) conventional food and (b) organic food.

Melanie Johnson: A list of all European Union permitted food additives has been created by the Food Standards Agency. This list can be accessed by using the following link to the Food Standards Agency website: http://www.food.gov.uk/safereating/additivesbranch/enumberlist
	Food additives in organic foods are limited to those listed in Section A of Annex VI of Regulation (EEQ2092/91, which governs organic production in the EU. A list of these can be found on page 66 of the UKROFS standards at http://www.defra.qov.uk/farm/orqanic/ukrofs/standard.pdf.

Diet

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to change the number of additives allowed in food.

Melanie Johnson: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that food additives legislation is harmonised throughout the European Union. All additives permitted in food have been rigorously assessed for safety by the independent scientific committees that advise the European Commission and the UK Government on food safety issues. Any changes to the number of additives allowed in food would be on the basis of advice from these expert committees.

Diet

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Government has to try and reverse the decline in minerals in food.

Melanie Johnson: The evidence on whether there has been a decline in the mineral content of foods generally is unclear. This is due to differences over time in study methodologies and because mineral levels naturally occurring in foods can vary widely due to a range of factors.
	The overall balance of the diet is more important than the nutrient content of individual foods. It is for this reason that Government activity has concentrated on promoting the uptake of a healthy balanced diet.

Diet

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Government have to make independent testing of food additives an automatic requirement.

Melanie Johnson: Safety data on additives, whether provided by manufacturers or from independent sources, are thoroughly assessed by the independent expert committees that advise the Government or the European Commission before authorisation is granted. Data that are submitted for evaluation by committees must satisfy good laboratory practice requirements and also comply with any guidelines laid down by the expert committee.

Diet

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research the Government has undertaken into the health consequences that might occur when several food additives are combined in a single product.

Melanie Johnson: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is currently funding a research project entitled Development of methods for the assessment of the health effects from mixtures of food additives. This study is investigating four additives, chosen because they have a similar mode of action and is due to be completed in 2005. The FSA has also recently established a new research programme on mixtures of chemicals. The main focus is on residues of pesticides and veterinary medicines, but the results will provide more general information on possible effects of mixtures of chemicals in food including additives.

Diet

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to remove a star from trusts where the percentage of obese people increases.

Melanie Johnson: The Commission for Health Improvement is the independent regulator of national health service performance and is responsible for developing indicators and publishing NHS performance ratings. Ministers will continue to agree key targets and the priority areas to be covered in the ratings, but are not responsible for their calculation.
	The prevention and management of obesity is at the heart of many of the Government's priority areas, as set out in the NHS Plan, the cross-cutting review on health inequalities, national service frameworks and the priorities and planning framework.

Diet

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the European Commission regarding the proposal to ban health claims made about food products.

Melanie Johnson: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that the European Commission has adopted a proposal that seeks to better regulate health claims on foods, allowing them only when evidence to substantiate the claim has been accepted by the European Food Safety Authority. This proposal is currently under negotiation in Brussels.

Diet

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will respond to the recent proposals of the Obesity Awareness and Solutions Trust in relation to Toast House.

Melanie Johnson: The Department is aware of the work of the obesity awareness and solutions trust (TOAST).
	The Department provided funding for TOAST through a Section 64 grant in 2002. The funding finished in March 2003. TOAST have updated the Department on their proposals in relation to TOAST house, which may complement the Department's work to tackle overweight and obesity.

Diet

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will ban the food additives (a) tartrazine, (b) quinoline yellow, (c) sunset yellow FCF, (d) cochineal, (e) carmoisine, (f) amaranth, (g) poncean 4R, (h) erythrosine, (i) indigo carmine, (j) caramel, (k) black PN, (l) annatto, (m) benzoic acid, (n) sodium benzoate, (o) sulphur dioxide, (p) sodium nitrate, (q) sodium nitrate, (r) butylated hydroxyanisole and (s) butylated hydroxytoluene; and if he will undertake further research to identify additives that may exacerbate hyperactivity in children.

Melanie Johnson: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) that there are no plans to ban these additives. Legislation on food additives is harmonised throughout the European Union and all additives permitted for use in food, including those listed, have been rigorously assessed for safety by the independent scientific committees that advise the European Commission and the United Kingdom Government. Any ban on the use of these additives would be on the basis of advice from these expert committees.
	In May this year the FSA put out a research call inviting new proposals to examine whether there are any links between certain food additives and behaviour in children. Proposals have now been received and are currently being appraised by an independent panel of experts.

Direct Payments

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in each of the last five years were (a) eligible for and (b) in receipt of direct payments, broken down by client group.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of people eligible for direct payments is not available. Prior to April 2003 whether individuals were offered direct payments was a choice for each council so eligibility differed between areas. Since April 2003, it has been made a duty for each council to offer a direct payment, but eligibility will depend on a number of factors, including the person's ability to manage a direct payment. The number of people in receipt of direct payments between the years 19972000 is also not available. However, the number of adults aged 18 or over and in receipt of direct payments for the years 200001 and 200102, broken down by client group, is available and shown in the table.
	
		Number of clients receiving direct payments (England) -- Rounded figures
		
			 Primary client type 200001 200102 
		
		
			 All client groups 5,000 6,300 
			 Physical and sensory disability/frailty 3,600 5,300 
			 of which:   
			 physical disability 2,800 3,600 
			 hearing (77)  
			 visual 100 100 
			 dual   
			 frailty 300 400 
			 Learning disability 200 500 
			 Mental health 100 200 
			 of which:   
			 dementia (77) (77) 
			 Substance abuse (77) 60 
			 Other vulnerable people 1,000 200 
			 of which:   
			 asylum seekers 900 60 
			 welfare benefits 0 0 
		
	
	(77) Figures less than 50.
	Note:
	200001 figures are based on 133 P2f forms.
	200102 figures are based on 140 P2F forms.

Doctor-Patient Ratios

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average ratio of family doctors to patients was in each year since 1997 in (a) England, (b) each NHS region and (c) each strategic health authority.

John Hutton: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Domestic Violence

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what role he envisages primary care trusts taking in dealing with domestic violence.

Melanie Johnson: The Government are firmly committed to tackling domestic violence, a serious and abhorrent crime, and we recently published our strategy to co-ordinate concerted action on this issue in the consultation paper, Safety and Justice. Within this framework, the national health service has a particular contribution to make in identifying and responding to domestic violence, which has a profound impact on the health and well-being of the individuals concerned and their children.
	The Department of Health's publication, Domestic Violence: A Resource Manual for Health Care Professionals (March 2000), provides a solid foundation for local multi-agency work and supports health care professionals and managers across all sectors of the NHS, including those working in primary care trusts (PCTs), in developing their domestic violence policies, protocols and services to ensure victims receive the care and support they need in whatever health setting they present.
	The Department is working closely with the NHS Modernisation Agency to facilitate sharing of good practice domestic violence strategies by PCTs, particularly those who have developed effective partnership working arrangements with other key local agencies, through the national primary and care trust development programme.

Drugs

Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to increase the number of GPs recognised as having a special interest in the treatment of drug addiction.

John Hutton: We are committed to expanding the numbers and the role of general practitioners with a special interest (GPwSIs) and have already met the NHS Plan commitment to have 1,000 such GPs. These GPs will help expand the range of services offered by primary care in settings more convenient for patients than hospital-based care. It is important, however, that the services offered by these GPs address local priorities and needs. The decisions on which specialties to develop locally are therefore for primary care trusts.
	We are supporting the GPwSIs' development with guidelines which we have commissioned from the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) on a range of specialities. Drug misuse is among these and we are funding a RCGP training programme on this. In the first year, 440 GPs attended the training and there were over a 100 on the waiting list.

Drugs

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 1 September 2003 the hon. Member for Shrewsbury and Atcham (Mr. Marsden), Official Report, column 3W, on adverse reactions to drugs (children), what the equivalent information is for (a) 199798, (b) 199899, (c) 19992000 and (d) 200001.

John Hutton: The following table provides data from hospital episode statistics of admissions to hospital of children under 16 years due to adverse effects from drugs, medicines and biological substances in therapeutic use in national health service hospitals in England.
	
		
			  Number of admissions of children under 16 (ungrossed data) 
		
		
			 199798 2,437 
			 199899 2,608 
			 19992000 2,986 
			 200001 2,819 
		
	
	These data include adverse effects from all medicines, whether prescribed or taken without prescription. It is important to note that these figures do not represent the number of patients as a person may have more than one admission episode of hospital care within the year.

Drugs

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 9 June 2003, Official Report, column 694W, on unused drugs, if he will commission independent research to assess ways of reducing this wastage; and what assessment he has made of whether smaller packs of drugs could reduce wastage.

Rosie Winterton: The Department is concerned about the wastage of unused medicines and has introduced a number of measures to address this.
	These include the medicines management collaborative, which involves primary care trusts (PCTs), general practitioners (GPs) and pharmacies in schemes that demonstrate innovation and good practice in medicines management. Reducing the volume of unwanted medicines is one of the local objectives being pursued by some of the PCTs participating in the programme.
	Repeat dispensing makes it possible for patients to get their repeat medicines for up to a year without having to contact their GP's surgery. At each repeat dispensing episode, the pharmacist checks that the medicines are still needed and being used appropriately by the patient. The first wave of pathfinder sites is now under way and I announced the second wave of 40 sites at the British Pharmaceutical Conference on 17 September 2003. We remain committed to repeat dispensing schemes nationwide until the end of 2004. Evidence from previous pilot studies has shown that repeat dispensing helps reduce waste.
	Modernising hospital pharmacy services, where patients can now continue to use their medicines when admitted to hospital, together with dispensing for discharge, has also been shown to reduce waste.
	Given all these initiatives we do not propose to commission further research.
	Patients have different requirements according to their clinical condition. Pharmaceutical companies therefore have to decide what pack sizes will suit the majority of patients and provide pack sizes to meet these needs.

E.coli

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many recorded (a) E-coli infections and (b) E-coli 0157 infections there were in each year since 1997 which were linked to camping or visiting open farms; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: The table shows the number of laboratory confirmed cases of Escherichia coli 0157 (E.coli) infection in England, Wales and Scotland from 1983 to 2002.
	The first case of infection with a Vero-cytotoxin producing strain of Escherichia coli (VTEC) was diagnosed in 1982. Virtually all cases of Vero-cytotoxin producing strains of E.coli infection are caused by E.coli 0157. All cases of E.coli infection associated with camping or visits to open farms have been due to the 0157 strain.
	Data on sporadic cases are not included because it is not possible to link individual sporadic cases to a particular route of transmission.
	
		
			 Report year E.coli 0157 E.coli 0157 associated with camping or open farms 
		
		
			 1983 0  
			 1984 6  
			 1985 53  
			 1986 80  
			 1987 101  
			 1988 88  
			 1989 206  
			 1990 415  
			 1991 563  
			 1992 585  
			 1993 504  
			 1994 653 5 
			 1995 1,039 0 
			 1996 1,166 0 
			 1997 1,513 30 
			 1998 1,107 11 
			 1999 1,378 21 
			 2000 1,093 33 
			 2001 1,003 23 
			 2002 824 5 
		
	
	This table does not include outbreaks associated with camping or visiting open farms in which infection was acquired from contaminated food or water. The figures for 2002 are provisional.

Emergency Planning

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 16 July 2003, Official Report, column 412W, on emergency planning, if he will publish the review of major incident planning capacity.

John Hutton: There are no plans to publish the detailed findings of the review. The review has helped ensure that national health service major incident planning is continuously reviewed and improved. Revised guidance will be issued to the NHS later this year. Our approach was described in the Treasury minute responding to the Public Accounts Committee report Facing the Challenge: NHS Emergency Planning in England, which was published on 17 March. Copies of the minute have been placed in the Library.

Energy Use Targets

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the voluntary targets for energy use in NHS capital schemes have been made mandatory; what progress his Department has made in revising the NHS carbon dioxide standard of heat insulation; and whether it is his intention to bring the revised NHS carbon dioxide standard into line with the current British Standard for heat insulation.

Melanie Johnson: In April 2001 the then Minister of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for Southampton, Itchen (Mr. Denham), set mandatory energy targets for the national health service in England.
	NHS Estates is currently undertaking a comprehensive review of its healthcare engineering guidance which includes Model Engineering Specification CO2 Thermal Insulation (MES CO2). It is NHS Estates' intention to harmonise MES CO2 with the revised British Standard.

Fluoride

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Health by what methods other than fluoridation of public water supplies safe levels of fluoride can be delivered to the population.

Melanie Johnson: Trials are underway of offering fluoridated milk in schools and, in some parts of Europe, fluoridated salt is on sale. We have introduced the brushing for life scheme whereby free fluoridated toothpaste is given to families with young children in areas of high tooth decay. Findings to date suggest that none of these measures yields benefits equivalent to those derived from water fluoridation.

Food

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by the NHS on food in (a) 200102 and (b) 200203; how much food was wasted in each of those years; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: The information requested is not routinely collected.

Food

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on food by his Department and by each agency for which it is responsible in (a) 200102 and (b) 200203; what proportion of that food by value was produced in the United Kingdom; what guidance he has issued to encourage the procurement of home-grown food; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: Expenditure on food relates to hospitality, working lunches and refreshments supplied at meetings. Available information from the Department of Health and its Agencies is shown in the table.
	
		
			  200102 200203 
		
		
			 Department of Health 348,000 173,000 
			 The Medicines and Health Care Products Regulatory Agency (total expenditure in the formerly separate Medicines Control Agency and Medical Devices Agency) 264,819 185,683 
			 NHS Purchasing and Supplies Agency 8,148 9,714 
			 NHS Pensions Agency 63,892 81,726 
			 NHS Estates 132,798 66,569 
		
	
	Catering services are contracted out and no detailed information is available on the proportion of food that is produced in the United Kingdom.
	The main Department of Health contractor has a policy to purchase food products sourced in the UK wherever it is available and commercially viable to do so. 92 per cent. of purchases are products produced within the UK.
	The Department's procurement policy requires prospective catering suppliers to demonstrate within their tenders their approach to purchasing local products and those produced within the UK.

Food

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Government has to introduce central enforcement of breaches of food legislation.

Melanie Johnson: Local and central Government are responsible for different aspects of food law enforcement. However, most enforcement work is undertaken by local authority environmental health and trading standards departments. I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that there are no plans to change these arrangements.

Food

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the bacterial infections which caused death from food poisoning in each year since 1997, indicating the (a) number and (b) percentage in each category.

Melanie Johnson: The Public Health Laboratory Service, now the Health Protection Agency, carried out a detailed study of all statistics on foodborne disease in order to calculate reliable estimates of the true burden of indigenously acquired foodborne disease and deaths. These estimates exclude foodborne infections acquired abroad and infections acquired by other routes such as person to person. Annual data for 1997 to 2000 are shown in the table. Data for 2001 onwards are not yet available.
	
		Estimated number of deaths due to indigenous foodborne infection in England and Wales 1997 to 2000
		
			 Bacterial pathogen 1997 Percentage 1998 Percentage 1999 Percentage 2000 Percentage 
		
		
			 Non typhoidal Salmonellas 304 34.5 208 30.2 146 28.0 119 24.8 
			 Clostridium perfringens 260 29.5 189 27.5 89 17.0 89 18.5 
			 Campylobacter spp. 79 9.0 88 12.8 84 16.1 86 17.9 
			 Listeria monocytogenes 87 9.9 76 11.0 76 14.6 68 14.2 
			 Escherichia coli 0157 27 3.1 22 3.2 27 5.2 22 4.6 
			 Other E.coli 6 0.7 6 0.9 6 1.1 6 1.3 
			 Verocytotoxigenic E.coli (Non 0157) 3 0.3 2 0.3 3 0.6 2 0.4 
			 Vibrio spp. 2 0.2 2 0.3 2 0.4 2 0.4 
			 Yersinia spp. 5 0.6 3 0.4 2 0.4 1 0.2 
			 Parasites  Viruses(78) 21 2.3 19 2.8 20 3.8 20 4.2 
			 Unknown Agents(79) 88 10.0 73 10.6 67 12.8 65 13.5 
			 Total deaths(80) 882 100 688 100 522 100 480 100 
		
	
	(78) Information on parasites and viruses is provided for comparison.
	(79) Unknown agents may include some bacterial infections.
	(80) Figures shown are for all agents.
	Source (raw data):
	Gastrointestinal Diseases Division, Health Protection Agency
	Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre. 23/7/03

Food

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what percentage of the target to reduce foodborne disease is made up of food poisoning caused by (a) salmonella, (b) campylobacter, (c) clostridium perfringens, (d) E.coli 0157 and (e) listeria;
	(2)  how many deaths were caused by (a) salmonella, (b) campylobacter and (c) clostridium perfringens food poisoning in each year since 199798;
	(3)  how many cases of campylobacter food poisoning there were in each year since 199798; and what steps the Government is taking to reduce the cases of campylobacter food poisoning;
	(4)  what progress his Department is making towards the target to reduce foodborne disease by 20 per cent. by 2006; and by what percentage foodborne disease was reduced in 200102.

Melanie Johnson: In the baseline year, 2000, the percentage of the target accounted for by each organism was:
	
		
			  percentage 
		
		
			  
			  
			 Salmonella 20 
			 Campylobacter 78 
			 Clostridium perfringens 0.3 
			 E.coli 0157 2 
			 Listeria monocytogenes 0.2 
		
	
	A study of foodborne disease statistics carried out by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) was used to provide the following estimated number of deaths due to indigenous foodborne infection in England and Wales between 19972000:
	
		
			  Number of deaths per year 
			 Bacterial Pathogen 1997 1998 1999 2000 
		
		
			 Salmonellas (non typhoidal) 304 208 146 119 
			 Clostridium perfringens 260 189 89 89 
			 Campylobacter spp. 79 88 84 86 
		
	
	Source:
	(Raw data): Gastrointestinal Diseases Division, Health Protection Agency, Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre. 23/07/03.
	Routine data on causes of death, collected by the Office of National Statistics, do not provide a breakdown for individual organisms. The most recent HPA data currently available are for the year 2000.
	The number of laboratory-confirmed cases of Campylobacter spp. in the United Kingdom in each year since 199798 is shown in the table. Not all of these infections will have been transmitted by food. Note that due to under-reporting the actual numbers of cases will be higher. On the basis of a large study of intestinal infectious disease in England, funded by the Department, the true number is estimated to be eight to ten times greater.
	
		
			  England and Wales Northern Ireland Scotland UK total 
		
		
			 1997 50,177 778 5,533 56,488 
			 1998 58,059 775 6,381 65,215 
			 1999 54,987 862 5,865 61,714 
			 2000 55,887 1,001 6,482 63,370 
			 2001 56,592 885 5,435 62,912 
			 2002(81) 47,231 817 5,121 53,169 
		
	
	(81) based on provisional data sets.
	Source:
	HPA (PHLS) laboratory reports to the CDSC, CDSC (NI) and laboratory reports to the SCEIH
	Measures to reduce cases of Campylobacter are set out in paragraphs 5560 of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) strategy for reducing cases of foodborne illness by 20 per cent, by April 2006. This is available on the FSA's website at http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/fdscg-strategy-revised.pdf
	A detailed strategy, which aims to reduce the presence of Campylobacter in United Kingdom-produced chicken on retail sale significantly, was published for consultation in June 2003. This can be found on the FSA's website at http://www.food.gov.uk/foodindustry/consultations/completed consultationscompleteduk/campylobacterstrategycons
	As part of a nation-wide food hygiene campaign, the FSA is currently developing material to promote awareness of Campylobacter among poultry farmers. Earlier phases of this campaign have been targeted largely at raising awareness and promoting good hygiene practice in the catering industry. Messages about thorough cooking and the avoidance of cross-contamination are particularly relevant to prevention of Campylobacter infection. Further high-profile activity to increase awareness of cross-contamination in the kitchen is planned for early 2004.
	Good progress is being made towards reducing foodborne disease by 20 per cent. Provisional data for 2002 suggest there has been just over a 13 per cent. reduction in the number of cases of foodborne illness due to the target organisms, compared with the baseline figure for 2000.

Food

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions his Department has had with other countries (a) in the EU and (b) outside the EU on food safety.

Melanie Johnson: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is responsible for food safety issues. It frequently discusses many aspects of food safety, on the basis of European Commission proposals and in scientific exchanges, with all other European Union member states. In addition, FSA officials have met counterparts from the 10 countries which are preparing to join the EU on 1 May next year as well as from many other countries. The discussions, at various levels, have ranged over many items of mutual interest, including: development of food safety and consumer-related policies; risk management and current legislative programmes; communication of risk; building relationships between food authorities; methods of scientific analysis; research and development; and inspection and food law enforcement.

Food

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government is taking to ensure that salmonella in eggs is strictly controlled.

Melanie Johnson: The key intervention is the statutory on-farm control programme for breeding flocks. All layer breeding flocks must be monitored at regular intervals for the presence of Salmonella. Any flock infected with Salmonella Enteriditis or Salmonella Typhimurium is compulsorily slaughtered. Ministers at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) are responsible for these controls. The Government will also be supporting new European Union proposals aimed at controlling salmonella pathogens of public health significance in poultry and other farm animals, including egg layer flocks.
	Statutory measures are complemented by voluntary codes of practice published by DEFRA, which industry has incorporated into their own salmonella controls.
	The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has issued advice to caterers and consumers on the safe handling, storage and consumption of eggs. This advice is published on the FSA's website at http://www.food.gov.uk/safereating/foodadvice/eggs2002advice

Food

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what systems are required to be in place to ensure that the risk of contamination from food-borne micro-organisms is minimised during slaughter.

Melanie Johnson: Current European Union meat hygiene rules contain detailed requirements for the structure and operation of slaughterhouses and require all slaughterhouse operators to implement and maintain hazard analysis critical control point-based programmes to prevent, eliminate or reduce hazards to acceptable levels. Red meat slaughterhouse operators are required to carry out microbiological testing of carcasses to verify that their controls are working. The legislation is enforced in Great Britain by the Meat Hygiene Service, an executive agency of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and in Northern Ireland by the Department for Agriculture and Rural Development veterinary service on behalf of the FSA.

Food

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure that staff working with food are aware of the need to wash their hands after visiting the lavatory; and what further steps his Department is planning to take to ensure the highest levels of personal hygiene are maintained by staff working for organisations involved with the handling of food.

Melanie Johnson: Staff working with food must, by law, maintain high standards of personal hygiene and be supervised to ensure that they work hygienically. These requirements are enforced by local food authorities.
	Effective hand washing is important in preventing contamination of food and the spread of food poisoning bacteria in catering premises and in the domestic setting. To help reinforce this message, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has run a high profile nationwide campaign targeting the catering industry with material stressing the importance of staff working with food washing their hands after visiting the lavatory. Further advice on how to clean and dry hands, is available on the FSA website at www.foodstandards.gov.uk

Food

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will set out the main criteria of the hazard analysis and critical control point system;
	(2)  when he expects the hazard analysis and critical control point system to be extended to all food businesses under EU legislation; and whether his Department has evaluated the effects of implementing the HACCP system to other food businesses not currently included.

Melanie Johnson: Hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) is a risk-based system designed to control food safety hazards inherent in food production. The main criteria of the HACCP system are set out in the Regulatory Impact Assessments (RIAs) which consider the effects of the proposed new legislation.
	The date of implementation of the consolidated European Union food hygiene legislation is not yet decided. Negotiations under the co-decision procedure are continuing, however, the Council has agreed a formula under which the new legislation would apply from 1 January 2006, or 18 months after coming into force, whichever is the later.
	The latest versions of these can be found on the Food Standards Agency website at:
	www.food.gov.uk/foodindustry/regulation/europeleg/eufoodhygieneleg/six

Food

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to ensure that food manufacturers provide information that is not misleading.

Melanie Johnson: It is an offence under current legislation for anyone to label food in a manner that could be misleading. In support of this legislation, the Food Standards Agency has produced guidance for manufacturers on a number of aspects of labelling, such as country of origin and the use of terms such as 'fresh', 'pure' and 'natural'. In addition, proposed legislation on the use of nutrition and health claims on food labels is currently being discussed in Brussels.

Food

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many food samples were submitted for testing by local authorities in England in 1996.

Melanie Johnson: A total of 175,096 food samples were taken for testing by local authorities in England in 1996.

Food

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the costs are for the testing of a food sample by (a) a local authority public analyst, (b) a private sector public analyst and (c) the Food Standards Agency's laboratory at York.

Melanie Johnson: Costs for the analysis of food samples vary greatly depending on the food type and the analyses being carried out. As such, an average cost is not available.

Food Standards Agency

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who the committee members for the Food Standards Agency's Consumer Committee are; and how they were chosen.

Melanie Johnson: The twelve members of the consumer committee are chosen in two ways, six through open competition and six nominated by the main consumer organisations. The current membership is as follows:
	Appointees from Open Competition
	Nancy Robson (Chair)
	Alison Childs (Deputy Chair)
	Marvelle Brown
	John Godfrey
	Appointees nominated by Consumer Organisations
	Sue Dibb (National Consumer Council)
	Emma Copeland (Consumers' Association)
	Sinead Furey (General Consumer Council for Northern Ireland)
	Lucy Gillie (Scottish Consumer Council)
	Jeanette Longfield (Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming)
	Claire Whyley (Welsh Consumer Council)
	The two vacancies are currently being filled though open competition.

Foundation Hospitals

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what method each candidate trust for Foundation Hospital status has adopted to carry out public consultation about their plans; when those consultations will be completed; and what the total cost is to each trust of the consultation exercises.

John Hutton: holding answer 16 September 2003
	Individual applicants are developing their own plans for consultation to reflect how best to engage with key stakeholders locally. These consultations may involve a balance of staff and public meetings, written documents and presentations to key stakeholders depending on what fits best locally to allow the public, staff and other stakeholders to provide their views. Evidence of consultation and a summary of comments received is a requirement for the material submitted for consideration by the Secretary of State on 12 December as part of the next stage of the applications process. Consultation will need to conclude therefore in time to allow this. Costs will differ depending on the exact method of consultation chosen; we do not hold centrally information on these individual costs.

Foundation Hospitals

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the auditor for a foundation hospital will be appointed.

John Hutton: It will be up to the board of governors of each national health service foundation trust to appoint the auditor, subject to provisions in Schedule 1, paragraph 21, of the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Bill.

Foundation Hospitals

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on plans to develop a bond market to allow foundation trusts to raise capital.

John Hutton: Initial consultations with financial institutions support the Government's view that bond finance may offer medium term opportunities for national health service foundation trusts to raise capital under certain circumstances. In the near term, bonds are not the preferred source of finance for NHS foundation trusts.

Foundation Hospitals

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with financial institutions to develop a bond market to allow foundation trusts to raise capital.

John Hutton: The Department has undertaken wide ranging consultations with financial institutions in order to establish a sustainable financial regime for national health service foundation trusts. A variety of bonds were part of a range of financial instruments discussed during this consultation process.

Free NHS Care

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what advice his Department gives to those embarking on gap years abroad on the effect that their absence from the UK will have on their entitlement to claim free NHS care on return to the UK;
	(2)  what discussions his Department has had with (a) student organisations and (b) representatives of the travel industry about advice offered to gap year students on the availability of free NHS provision when students return from an extended trip outside the UK.

John Hutton: holding answer 16 September 2003
	Students who choose to spend some time abroad before starting a university degree course remain fully entitled to free National Health Service treatment as soon as they return to take up permanent residence in the United Kingdom. This advice is given to anyone who enquires on the subject, but there have been no specific discussions with the bodies mentioned.

Gateway Controls

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many departmentally-approved targets have been introduced since the introduction of Gateway controls.

John Hutton: The NHS Plan set out a 10-year programme of reform. The targets that the national health service is required to deliver over the next three years as part of the programme were set out in Improvement, Expansion and Reform: The next 3 years, Priorities  Planning Framework 20032006, published on 1 April 2003. No other targets have been created for the NHS.

Genito-urinary Medicine

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on genito-urinary medicine services in (a) each of the past three financial years and (b) 199798.

Melanie Johnson: Hospital and community health services expenditure on genito-urinary medicine services for each of the past three financial years and 199798 are shown in the table 1 .  million
	
		
			  Expenditure 
		
		
			 200102 182.13 
			 200001(83) 157.138 
			 19992000 171.593 
			 199798 137.367 
		
	
	(82) In 19992000, one NHS trust recorded expenditure on HIV/ AIDS within the speciality genito-urinary medicine. However, in 200001 the trust reclassified this expenditure and recorded it within the speciality infectious diseases.
	(83) Following further validation of the data, this is a revised figure for 200001.
	Sources:
	Annual financial returns of NHS trusts, 199798 and 19992000 to 200102.
	Annual financial returns of primary care trusts, 200001 to 200102.

GM Foods

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department (a) has undertaken and (b) plans to undertake in 200304 into the health risks of GM foods.

Melanie Johnson: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) funds two extensive research programmes on the safety of genetically modified food. The first underpins the current safety assessment to ensure the most up to date knowledge is used. The second is a three-year programme that started in 2001. This investigates new and emerging scientific techniques (such as gene arrays, metabolomics and proteomics) and explores how they might be used to refine the current safety assessment.
	This research is undertaken by independent research scientists and is peer reviewed before final reports are made publicly available through the FSA's library. Details of the research programme are published in the FSA's research and surveys programmes annual report and are available on the FSA website at www.foodstandards.gov.uk.

General Practitioners

Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the GPs' contract includes recognition of the number of drug addicts treated beyond capitation alone.

John Hutton: Under the new general medical service contract, most patient services will be funded by weighted capitation.
	With effect from 1 April 2004, there will be a national enhanced service for the treatment of patients with specialised drug and alcohol misuse problems. This will be based on national specifications and there will be additional funding.

General Practitioners

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what constitutes an improvement to a GP's premises, as referred to in the Department of Health Public Service Agreements from 1998.

John Hutton: Improvements are building works that lead to a substantive change to the premises from which a primary care team provides services, which in the view of the primary care trust, or its predecessor health authority, improve patient access to services or enhance the working environment for the primary care team.

Green Transport Policies

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the NHS hospital trusts which have implemented green transport policies at the request of their local planning authorities.

John Hutton: Data on national health service trust transport plans implemented at the request of local authorities are not collected centrally.

Health and Social Services (Merseyside)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of health and social services in Merseyside.

Melanie Johnson: The publication of the 2003 national health service performance ratings was undertaken by the Commission for Health Improvement, on behalf of the Department. The performance ratings contain full star ratings for acute/specialist and ambulance trusts and for the first time, mental health and primary care trusts.
	Information on all the star ratings awarded in 2003 for the Cheshire and Merseyside region can be found at http://www.nhs.uk/root/StarRatings/StrategicHealth Authority.asp/SHACode=Q15
	The Department's social services inspectorate produces for each council social services department an annual performance report. This includes information about the standard of service over the preceding year and the capacity for improvement for the coming year and beyond. Star ratings are awarded each November to every social services department.
	The star ratings awarded to the Merseyside councils in 2002 are shown as follows:
	2 star
	Cheshire
	Knowsley
	Sefton
	Warrington
	1 star
	Halton
	Liverpool
	St. Helens
	Wirral
	Information on star ratings for all council social services departments can be found in the social service inspectorate's 200203 annual report. A copy of the report can be found at http://www.doh.uk/ssi/ciann-12.htm

Health Care (Buckinghamshire)

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations were cancelled in hospitals in (a) Chesham and Amersham and (b) Buckinghamshire in the last quarter for which figures are available; what percentage of the cancelled operations were subsequently carried out in four weeks; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The Department collects quarterly data on last minute cancelled operations for non-clinical reasons at trust level (that is, patients cancelled on the day of admission, after admission, or on the day of surgery). Figures for the first quarter of 200304 were published on 11 September 2003. Data by individual hospital sites are not collected.
	The percentage of cancelled operations that were consequently carried out within four weeks can not be calculated from the data available. However, data are available for the number of patients who were not treated within four weeks of a last minute cancellation as part of the central data collection arrangements for the NHS Plan cancelled operations guarantee. These data are shown in the table for Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust, Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Trust, and Milton Keynes General Hospital NHS Trust.
	
		Quarter 1, 200304
		
			  Number of last minute cancellations for non-acute clinical reasons Number of patients not admitted within 28 days of a last minute cancellation 
		
		
			 Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust 129 13 
			 Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Trust 73 0 
			 Milton Keynes General Hospital NHS Trust 47 0 
		
	
	Note:
	The NHS Plan stated: From 2002, when a patient's operation is cancelled by the hospital on the day of surgery for non clinical reasons, the hospital will have to offer another binding date within a maximum of the next 28 days or fund the patient's treatment at the time and hospital of the patient's choice. From April 2003, the cancelled operations guarantee was extended to apply to cancellations that occur on or after the day of admission.

Health Care (Buckinghamshire)

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been waiting to be registered by NHS dentists in (a) Chesham and Amersham and (b) Buckinghamshire in each year since 1 January 1996.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally.

Health Care (Buckinghamshire)

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures he is taking to increase the number of dental practices taking NHS patients in (a) Chesham and Amersham and (b) Buckinghamshire.

Rosie Winterton: Subject to the will of Parliament, the Health  Social Care (Community Health  Standards) Bill would enable primary care trusts (PCTs) to provide assistance and support to dental practices with which they contract. To enable PCTs to provide such assistance in advance of 2005, the general dental services incentive schemes directions 2003 have been published, together with guidance to PCTs.
	To support the change programme, a 10 million package of investment was announced on 12 August. A National Health Service team, backed by 9 million, will support PCTs where access is most challenging, providing advice and guidance on best practice in increasing access and modernising dentistry locally to tackle longstanding bottlenecks where it is hard to find a NHS dentist. The remaining 1 million will assist PCTs, local dental committees and dentists in preparing for the change.

Health Care (Buckinghamshire)

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) general practitioners and (b) vacancies for general practitioners there are in (i) Chesham and Amersham and (ii) Buckinghamshire.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of general practitioners for the Buckinghamshire area is shown in the table.
	
		Unrestricted Principals and Equivalents (UPEs)(84) for Primary Care Trusts in the Buckinghamshire area, June 2003 -- Numbers (headcount)
		
			  All practitioners UPEs(84) 
		
		
			  
			  
			 June 2003 of which: 
			 Milton Keynes PCT 123 117 
			 Vale of Aylesbury PCT 136 112 
			 Chiltern and South Bucks PCT 109 96 
			 Wycombe PCT 93 81 
		
	
	(84) UPEs include General Medical Services Unrestricted Principals, Personal Medical Services, Contracted GPs and PMS Salaried GPs.
	Data as at 3Q June 2003
	Source:
	Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics.
	With regard to the number of general practitioner vacancies, the Department carries out an annual survey of GP recruitment and retention of which the latest published data are for 200102. The information available for Buckinghamshire covers all vacancies outstanding at any time in the 12 month period between the 1 March 2001 and 28 February 2002. This information relates to Buckinghamshire health authority (HA), which had 27 GP vacancies, which were outstanding at some time in the 12 month period. For this survey, it is not possible to break the information down below HA level.

Health Care (Buckinghamshire)

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the funding he announced to support the hospice movement has been allocated to (a) Chesham and Amersham and (b) Buckinghamshire; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: The additional 50 million per annum has been made available to support specialist care, including hospices, for three years beginning 200304. This extra 50 million is to help tackle inequalities in access to specialist palliative care in a range of settings, including hospices and to enable the national health service to increase their contribution to the cost hospices incur in providing agreed levels of service. The level of funding agreed for hospices, both from the additional 50 million and from local resources, is a matter for local discussion and decision.
	Networks were asked to submit their proposed investment plan for the use of their allocation from the 50 million to the National Partnership Group (a joint NHS/voluntary sector group). Their plans have been approved and funding allocated for specialist palliative care services.
	The Thames Valley Cancer Network, in which Chesham, Amersham and Buckinghamshire sit, received 1.844 million from the central allocation. The use of the funds will be monitored against plans.

Health Care (Buckinghamshire)

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with health organisations in (a) Chesham and Amersham and (b) Buckinghamshire during the last 12 months.

Rosie Winterton: There have been no recent discussions with health organisations in Buckinghamshire.
	Thames Valley Strategic Health Authority, which, since 'Shifting the Balance of Power', now performance manages National Health Service health services in the Buckinghamshire area, regularly meets with the management of the trusts in Buckinghamshire. The Department and Ministers will continue to work with the local NHS to review the progress of the local economy.

Health Care (Buckinghamshire)

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding Buckinghamshire Health Authority received from the Government in (a) 200203 and (b) 200304; and how much it is expected that it will receive in 200405.

Rosie Winterton: 200304 was the first year of direct allocations to primary care trusts. Prior to that, allocations were made to health authorities.
	Revenue allocations to Buckinghamshire Health Authority and its successor primary care trusts for the time periods requested are shown in the table.
	
		 thousands
		
			  Allocation 
			 Health authority/Primary care trust 200203 200304 200405 
		
		
			 Buckinghamshire HA 493,959 N/A N/A 
			 Chiltern and South Bucks PCT N/A 117,675 128,126 
			 Milton Keynes PCT N/A 167,638 183,498 
			 Vale of Aylesbury PCT N/A 143,593 157,179 
			 Wycombe PCT N/A 107,852 117,956

Health Care (Buckinghamshire)

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what plans he has to assess the (a) capital and (b) revenue requirements of hospitals within (i) Chesham and Amersham and (ii) Buckinghamshire; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what decisions have been taken within the last 12 months to make extra (a) capital and (b) revenue money available to hospitals within (i) Chesham and Amersham and (ii) Buckinghamshire; if he will list the (A) projects, (B) sums of money involved and (C) start dates; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: It is for primary care trusts in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders to determine how best to use their revenue funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services.
	Revenue funding is allocated to primary care trusts on the basis of the relative needs of their populations. A weighted capitation formula is used to determine each primary care trust's target share of available resources. National health service trusts as providers of services receive the bulk of their revenue funding from commissioning by primary care trusts.
	Operational capital is allocated to all NHS trusts and PCTs primarily for minor capital investments and equipment replacement, and is distributed using a formula based on the size of the current asset base. Strategic capital is allocated directly to strategic health authorities to fund larger capital developments to facilitate strategic change, and is distributed using a population based formula. Strategic health authorities then prioritise allocations from the strategic capital to NHS trusts and PCTs in their patch.
	It is for the local health economy to decide the most appropriate use of this capital funding in order to meet national and local priorities.

Health Care (Buckinghamshire)

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Oxford, West and Abingdon (Dr. Harris) of 13 May 2003, Official Report, column 234W, on target funding allocations, how much of the additional allocation became available to (a) Chesham and Amersham and (b) Buckinghamshire.

Rosie Winterton: Cash increases to Buckinghamshire primary care trusts are shown in the table.
	
		
			   200304 cash increase  200405 cash increase  200506 cash increase  Three year cash increase 
			 Primary Care Trust 000 % 000 % 000 % 000 % 
		
		
			 Chiltern and South Bucks 9,850 9.14 10,451 8.88 11,183 8.73 31,484 29.20 
			 Milton Keynes 14,803 9.69 15,860 9.46 17,181 9.36 47,844 31.30 
			 Vale of Aylesbury 12,684 9.69 13,586 9.46 14,720 9.37 40,990 31.31 
			 Wycombe 9,433 9.58 10,104 9.37 10,969 9.30 30,506 31.00

Health Care (Buckinghamshire)

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of residential care homes in (a) Chesham and Amersham and (b) Buckinghamshire have been inspected by the National Care Standards Commission since 1 April 2002.

Stephen Ladyman: All of the residential care homes in Chesham and Amersham, and in Buckinghamshire have been inspected by the National Care Standards Commission since 1 April 2002.

Health Care (North Cheshire)

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to ensure that the North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust meets the outpatient targets set by the Government; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: North Cheshire Hospitals National Health Service Trust is making every effort to meet the Government's target of 21 weeks for a first outpatient appointment. This includes regular discussions between clinicians and managers about clinical capacity and modernising out-patient processes. The Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority continually monitors the progress of all partner organisations, including North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust, against Government targets.

Health Care (North Cheshire)

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to improve access to general practitioners in Warrington; and what discussions have taken place with the Warrington Primary Care Trust to ensure that the targets for access are met.

Melanie Johnson: Steps being taken to improve access to general practitioners in Warrington include Warrington Primary Care Trust (PCT) employing an access facilitator, who is working with eight GP practices to redesign services in order to improve access. The PCT board has in addition approved the recruitment of additional salaried GPs and nurse practitioners. Individual practices are also being supported in reviewing their appointment management processes.
	The Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority has established performance monitoring processes to gauge PCTs' progress on meeting GP access targets.

Health Care Assistants

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many health care assistants have been seconded to train as nurses in each acute trust, in each year since the scheme was introduced;
	(2)  what records are kept of the number of health care assistants who apply for secondments to train as nurses and are refused such secondments;
	(3)  how many NHS trusts are refusing all secondment applications from health care assistants who wish to train as nurses; and which of these trusts have decided to ban all secondments, whatever training is involved.

John Hutton: holding answer 17 September 2003
	The number of health care assistants seconded to train as nurses is a matter for local determination. Records of numbers accepted by trusts, refused applications for secondments and trusts not offering secondments are not collected centrally.
	In the current financial year, workforce development confederations plan to support 6,966 secondments. The Department is substantially increasing the amount of funding available in the years 200405 and 200506.
	For the current financial year, central funding has been provided for up to 15 per cent. of the nurses in training to be on secondments.

Health Protection Agency

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what stocks of vital materiel the Health Protection Agency is procuring to prepare for an attack by nuclear, biological, radiological or chemical weapons.

John Hutton: The Health Protection Agency (HPA) is not procuring any stocks of vital material in preparation for an attack using chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) weapons. The procurement of health-related CBRN countermeasures is the responsibility of the Department and, in undertaking this role, the Department seeks scientific and technical advice from the HPA as required.

Health Staff (Performance)

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government is taking to identify poorly performing (a) doctors and (b) nurses.

John Hutton: The Government established the National Clinical Assessment Authority in April 2001. The key functions of the Authority include helping local organisations manage problems quickly and effectively; promoting effective local and national procedures for preventing, identifying and resolving performance problems; and providing individual assessments that recommend practical ways in which individual performance can be improved.
	At present the National Clinical Assessment Authority applies only to doctors and dentists. The Government will consider the case for whether a similar approach would be appropriate for the other health professions.

Health Visiting Services

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the implications for effective early intervention in cases of potential child abuse of the reduction in health visiting services in South Worcestershire.

Stephen Ladyman: It is for local organisations to determine the health visiting workforce required to deliver local and national health priorities including child health.
	The proposals which have been put forward by South Worcestershire Primary Care Trust are based upon the commitment to provide a family-centred health visiting service which will work with individuals, families and communities to improve child health and tackle health inequalities. The review process for health visiting also took into account public health deprivation indices, the number of children aged up to four years registered with a general practitioner and the number of children currently on the child protection register. All families with children under five years will continue to have access to a named health visitor attached to their general practitioner's practice for advice on health and parenting issues.
	The Department is currently funding a range of initiatives to support primary care trusts in promoting recruitment, retention and return to practice within the primary care nursing and health visiting workforce.

High Security Hospital Patients

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons he intends to move 400 patients from high security hospitals to prison settings by 2004.

Stephen Ladyman: Paragraph 14.35 of the NHS Plan said that by 2004 up to 400 patients should have moved from the high security hospitals to more appropriate accommodation. A programme is under way aimed at moving up to 400 patients from high security hospitals to more appropriate accommodation by 2004.
	It is intended that the patients concerned should move to less secure hospitals or other suitable settings rather than to prisons. The programme has been initiated to address the problem of patients remaining in high security hospitals for longer than safety and security considerations dictate, which is an infringement of human rights and wasteful of scarce resources. The movement out of inappropriately placed patients will also facilitate the admission of people who do need high security care and treatment, including prisoners requiring transfer.

Histopathology

Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will assess the impact on patients of the availability of histopathology consultants working in the NHS.

Melanie Johnson: It is for cancer networks to work in partnership with workforce development confederations and strategic health authorities to put in place a sustainable process to assess, plan and review their work force needs and the education and training of all staff linked to local and national priorities for cancer.
	To meet NHS Plan and Cancer Plan commitments to get the staff that the national health service needs to deliver high quality care to patients, the Department is taking steps to increase the overall number of histopathologists. Three histopathology training schools were piloted in Leeds, Leicester and Southampton. The schools trained 18 senior house officers a year to be able to apply for specialist registrar posts. Building on their early success, we are increasing funding to the existing schools to enrol 24 trainees each year. We are also increasing the number of schools from three to 12 and raising the annual intake from 18 to 96 by 200506.
	We have also set up an intensive training programme at Southampton for exceptional overseas graduates with at least two years previous experience in pathology. The aim of the programme is to provide support and targeted training and to assess competence and educational needs in three months, rather than in one year, resulting in an extra eight histopathologists a year being eligible to apply for specialist registrar posts in histopathology.

Histopathology

Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to train histopathology consultants.

John Hutton: In line with the commitment in The NHS Cancer Plan, in 200001 the Department set up three histopathology training schools in Leeds, Leicester and Southampton. These schools initially trained an extra 18 senior house officers a year, to be eligible to apply for specialist registrar (SpR) posts in histopathology. Building on early success, we are increasing funding to the schools to take on 24 trainees each year. We are also pleased to expand the initiative nationally, increasing the number of schools from three to 12 and raising the annual intake from 18 to 96 by 200506.
	We have also set up an intensive training programme at Southampton for exceptional graduates with at least two years overseas experience in pathology. The aim of the programme is to provide support and targeted training and to assess competence and educational needs in three months, rather than in one year, resulting in an extra eight histopathologists a year being eligible to apply for SpR posts in histopathology.

HIV

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in (a) the UK and (b) Sefton are infected with HIV.

Melanie Johnson: In 2002, 29,044 HIV-infected individuals were reported to be resident in England. Of these, 38 were resident in Sefton.

Hospices

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the 50 million he announced to support the hospice movement has (a) been allocated and (b) been spent; and if he will list the recipients of the funds.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 11 September 2003
	The additional 50 million per annum has been made available to support specialist care, including hospices, for three years beginning 200304. This extra 50 million is to help tackle inequalities in access to specialist palliative care in a range of settings, including hospices and to enable the national health service to increase their contribution to the cost hospices incur in providing agreed levels of service. The level of funding agreed for hospices, both from the additional 50 million and from local resources, is a matter for local discussion and decision.
	All 34 cancer networks were asked to submit their proposed investment plan for the use of their allocation from the 50 million to the National Partnership Group for palliative care. The National Partnership Groupa joint NHS/voluntary sector grouphas assessed all the investment plans and 32 cancer network plans have now been approved and funding allocated for specialist palliative care services. The use of funds will be monitored against plans. It is anticipated that information will be available on the first year's funding during 2004.

Hospital Acquired Infections

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 8 September 2003, Official Report, column 6W, on healthcare-associated infections, what the longer term strategy is; and what measures he will use to evaluate the contribution made by each of the targeted action plans.

Melanie Johnson: On 9 June 2003 the Chief Medical Officer announced that he would be spearheading a new Government drive to tackle healthcare associated infections and in particular hospital acquired infections. Alongside action to target problem areas and step up monitoring of infections, he will look at evidence from other countries to see what we can learn from them, and an action plan for the longer term will be published later this year.

Hospital Acquired Infections

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the incidence of hospital-acquired infections since March.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of reported incidents of hospital acquired infections is not available. Comprehensive data on hospital infections are currently only available for methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) blood stream infections.
	A new national mandatory surveillance system for healthcare associated infection started with reporting of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) blood stream infections (bacteraemias), in April 2001. All acute trusts in England now collect this information and results for the first year of this scheme (April 2001 to March 2002) were published by individual trusts in the Communicable Disease Report Weekly on 20 June 2002. They are available at www.phls.co.uk/publications/cdr/PDFfiles/2002/cdr2502.pdf.
	National data on MRSA blood stream infections are published quarterly in the Communicable Disease Report Weekly. Data for the last quarter (1 April to 30 June 2003) will be published shortly.

Hospital Viruses

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nosocomial cases of small round-structured viruses there were in (a) England and (b) each strategic health authority in each month in (i) 2002 and (ii) 2003 up to the latest date for which figures are available.

Melanie Johnson: The Health Protection Agency has a voluntary reporting system for outbreaks of gastroenteritis, including those caused by norovirus (formerly known as small round structured virus, norwalk or norwalk-like virus). From 1 January 2002 to 31 March 2003, in England, there were there were 369 1 outbreaks affecting 10,975 patients and staff.
	The number of cases by strategic health authority and by each month is not available. The table shows a regional breakdown of cases of norovirus infection in outbreaks in hospitals reported to the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre of the Health Protection Agency from 1 January 2002 to 31 March 2003 in England.
	1 Outbreaks in England proven or suspected of being associated with norovirus.
	
		
			 Region(85) Total cases in norovirus outbreaks(86) 
		
		
			 Anglia and Oxford 2,265 
			 North and West 1,247 
			 North Thames 1,454 
			 Northern and Yorkshire 2,550 
			 South and West 1,481 
			 South Thames 294 
			 Trent 341 
			 West Midlands 1,343 
			 Total 10,975 
		
	
	(85) PHLS/NHS region.
	(86) Patients and staff.

Hospital Waiting Lists/Times

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to reduce the number of patients in the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority area who have waited over nine months for in-patient treatment.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 18 September 2003
	All national health service trusts in Cheshire and Merseyside have agreed plans with primary care trusts (PCTs) and the strategic health authority (SHA)7 that deliver the maximum nine month wait target by 31 March 2004.
	Most NHS trusts are planning to achieve this target earlier than the specified date.
	The Cheshire and Merseyside SHA and PCTs monitor the waiting time target on a weekly basis. The service improvement managers assist wherever problems are experienced.

HRT

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Government have to restrict the use of hormone replacement therapy.

Stephen Ladyman: Following careful review of the recent findings from a number of studies that provide important new information on the safety of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), the committee on safety of medicines (CSM) and its expert working group on HRT have issued clear advice to prescribers and women.
	The CSM has advised that, for short-term use of HRT for the relief of menopausal symptoms, the benefits outweigh the risks for many women. However, for longer-term use of HRT, prescribers are advised that each decision to start HRT should be made on an individual basis and that women should be made aware of the increased risk of the adverse effects, including cancer and cardiovascular disease. Each treatment decision should take into consideration the known risks and benefits of HRT, the contraindications for use and each woman's individual circumstances. In addition, the need to continue HRT treatment should be reappraised at least once yearly.
	Product information is being updated to reflect fully the new information and will additionally advise prescribers that, for the treatment of post-menopausal symptoms, the lowest effective dose of HRT should be used and that treatment should only be continued as long as the benefit in alleviating severe symptoms outweighs the risks.
	As with all licensed medicines, the CSM keeps the safety of HRT under close review, and would take appropriate action if further evidence relating to its safe use became available.

Human Fertilisation and Embryology

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many responses have been received by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority on the sixth edition of their code of practice; and how many were from (a) individual patients, (b) clinics and (c) professional bodies;
	(2)  when the sixth edition of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's code of practice will be implemented.

Melanie Johnson: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has informed me that 59 responses were received to the consultation exercise on the sixth edition of its code of practice. Of these, three were from the public including patients, 22 were from clinics and 24 from professional and patient bodies.
	The HFEA is aiming to publish the new edition before the end of the year. It will be implemented immediately on publication.

Human Fertilisation and Embryology

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many human embryos have been created specifically for the purposes of research since the passage of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990; and how many such human embryos have been created by (a) fertilisation and (b) other processes.

Melanie Johnson: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has informed me that since August 1991, when the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 came in to force, approximately 311 human embryos have been created for use in licensed research projects257 between 1991 and 1997 and 54 since 1998. All of the embryos were created by fertilisation.

Illegal Meat

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the cost of the specialist training in illegal meat for local authority enforcement officers; whether the 30 candidates being appointed as regional advisers following the specialist training will be in addition to the current levels of local authority enforcement officers; who has been appointed to run the training and under what procedure they were chosen; and whether the funding for the training is to be taken from (a) the Food Standards Agency funding and (b) his Department's central funding.

Melanie Johnson: The cost of the specialist training in illegal meat for 26 United Kingdom local authority officers and four officers from the Republic of Ireland, including accommodation, venue hire and travel and subsistence, was 40,000. The training of the UK officers was funded by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and provided by Mallard Consultancy Ltd., following a competitive tendering process. The 26 candidates appointed as regional advisers in the UK will act in this capacity for 10 working days per year for the FSA. They will continue to be employed by their local authorities and, when not working on behalf of the FSA, will continue their normal work for their authorities. They are not additional staff for the local authorities. The FSA will reimburse the authorities for the cost of their time in carrying out work for the FSA.

Illegal Meat

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of the candidates undertaking specialist training in illegal meat for local authority enforcement officers completed their training.

Melanie Johnson: All 30 candidates who undertook the specialist training in illegal meat investigation and enforcement arranged by the Food Standards Agency completed their training.

Immigration

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the Department of Health's contribution to the Cabinet Office's review of immigration and infectious diseases.

Melanie Johnson: The Cabinet Office review of imported infections and immigration, which involves the Department and other Government Departments, is on-going and no decisions have been taken.

Immunisation

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of children were immunised by their 2nd birthday in England in 200102 for (a) diphtheria, (b) tetanus, (c) polio, (d) pertussis, (e) Hib and (f) MMR.

Melanie Johnson: Information about uptake rates for routine childhood immunisations by their second birthday for diphtheria, tetanus, polio, tetanus, Hib and measles/mumps/rubella are shown in the following table:
	
		Completed primary courses at two years of age England 200102 -- Immunised by 2nd birthday in 200102 Per cent.
		
			 Diptheria Polio Tetanus Whooping cough Hib Measles/mumps/rubella 
		
		
			  
			  
			 93.8 93.7 93.8 93 93.3 84.1

Infectious Patients

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 24 June 2003, Official Report, column 721W, on infectious patients, what information was collected centrally from the local risk assessments; and if he will publish such information.

Melanie Johnson: These risk assessments were not collected centrally.

Information Management

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS trusts are experiencing problems with the compatibility of the computer systems used to record data.

John Hutton: Problems with compatibility are the responsibility of local trusts to resolve with their suppliers. No data are currently collected and no reports are routinely made to the Department on any such problems. The collection of such data is not a part of core reporting requirements for the National Health Service and it would not be economically viable or appropriate on business grounds to add this requirement.

Information Management

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to improve standards of information management in the NHS.

John Hutton: Two key initiatives which aim to improve the standards of information management in the national health service focus on the better recording and exchange of information to national standards and the development of health informatics skills.
	All national standards for the recording and transfer of information across the NHS now have to be approved by the independent NHS information standards board. This ensures that data are collected using agreed common standards so that NHS information can be used consistently across the NHS. When approved, these standards are included within the NHS data dictionary which provides the core reference manual on information standards for the NHS. Part of the approval process of the information standards board is to ensure compatibility with the design authority of the national programme for information technology. This Design Authority is responsible for the design of the future NHS IT infrastructure through which much patient-related information will be collected in future.
	The management of information to support the delivery of patient care and healthcare service planning and performance is undertaken by a range of people within the NHS. This includes clinicians, managers and specialist information analysts working in a range of local and national NHS organisations. For effective use of information, skills in health informatics are vital to ensure that information is not misinterpreted or misunderstood. The National Health Informatics Development Programme run by the NHS Information Authority is developing a range of products and services which aim to improve these across the NHS, so that the analysis and interpretation of information is undertaken to clear professional standards.

Information Management

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department gives to health authorities to ensure they comply with the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department set up a high level steering group in 2001 to oversee implementation of the Freedom of Information Act in the Department itself and in the National Health Service.
	In line with the Government's policy of empowering front-line staff, the steering group commissioned a project, led by South East London Strategic Health Authority, to develop an implementation plan and provide guidance on Freedom of Information for the NHS. NHS staff from trusts and strategic health authorities have collaborated to develop the plan and guidance.
	Working closely with the Information Commissioner's office, the project has produced model publication schemes, which have been adopted by trusts, strategic health authorities and independent practitioners. Guidance on other aspects of Freedom of Information has been made available by the project through a national awareness programme.
	Within the Department, a Freedom of Information Unit (also set up in 2001), supports the steering group and provides support as needed by the NHS project team. This unit has prepared a departmental implementation plan and begun conducting awareness events for all staff.

Information Management

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the progress of the NHS national information technology programme.

John Hutton: The national programme for information technology in the national health service is continuing to make good progress on schedule. The previously published milestones have all been met, in particular for:
	E-bookingthree bidders were shortlisted on time, best and final offer proposals were received at the end of August 2003 and the project received a successful gateway 3 review.
	The new NHS networksix responses to the preliminary invitation to negotiate were received on time, three bidders were shortlisted on schedule and we are looking to an accelerated procurement timetable to select a winner by the end of 2003.
	Electronic transfer of prescriptionsthe target remains as 50 per cent. of transactions by the end of 2005 and 100 per cent. by the end of 2007. Scope and objectives have been agreed by the programme board.
	Integrated care records service (National Patient Record Spine) four bidders' proposals received on time on 30 June 2003. Two shortlisted companies are bidding. Contract award planned for 31 October 2003.
	Integrated care records service (local service providers)10 shortlisted bidders against five clusters of NHS strategic health authorities are continuing in the procurement competition.

Intermediate Care Beds

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many new intermediate care beds there have been in the last two years;
	(2)  where new NHS intermediate care bed capacity has been introduced in the last two years.

Stephen Ladyman: Data are not available to assess the growth of intermediate care (IC) beds in the last two years. Between the 19992000 baseline for growth in IC beds and the end of June 2003, 3,600 additional beds have been established. New capacity has been established in all strategic health authorities but, because of restructuring within the national health service, precise data for each authority are not available.

Junior Doctors

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many junior doctors were in training in the NHS in England on (a) a headcount and (b) a whole-time-equivalent basis, in each year since 1990.

John Hutton: The information requested is shown in the tables.
	
		Hospital, public health medicine and community health services (HCHS) and general medical practitioners: doctors in training by grade; 19902002. England, as at 30 September -- Numbers
		
			  All training grades  Of which HCHS training grades 
			  Hc Wte Hc Wte 
		
		
			  
			  
			 1990 26,015 25,255.7 24,453 23,709.7 
			 1991 26,874 26,151.6 25,235 24,529.8 
			 1992 27,353 26,531.0 25,740 24,933.6 
			 1993 28,057 27,236.3 26,528 25,731.7 
			 1994 28,295 27,558.9 26,850 26,138.7 
			 1995 29,510 28,739.7 28,106 27,364.5 
			 1996 30,173 29,343.2 28,868 28,065.0 
			 1997 31,656 30,887.6 30,313 29,586.6 
			 1998 32,294 31,483.7 30,848 30,090.9 
			 1999 33,047 31,974.1 31,527 30,499.3 
			 2000 33,581 32,801.9 31,922 31,204.5 
			 2001 34,675 33,815.8 32,792 32,004.8 
			 2002 36,895 35,839.3 34,915 33,932.1 
		
	
	(Hc) Headcount
	(Wte) Whole time equivalents
	
		Numbers
		
			  Registrar Group   Senior House Officer House Officer GP Registrars 
			  Hc Wte Hc Wte Hc Wte Hc Wte 
		
		
			  
			  
			 1990 10,345 9,700.4 11,165 11,056.2 3,126 3,120.7 1,562 1,546.0 
			 1991 10,541 9,926.6 11,549 11,460.6 3,163 3,159.0 1,639 1,621.8 
			 1992 10,732 10,076.8 11,865 11,717.8 3,143 3,138.9 1,613 1,597.4 
			 1993 11,049 10,357.2 12,299 12,198.9 3,180 3,175.5 1,529 1,504.6 
			 1994 11,213 10,592.3 12,541 12,459.3 3,096 3,087.1 1,445 1,420.2 
			 1995 11,466 10,841.9 13,342 13,238.5 3,298 3,284.2 1,404 1,375.2 
			 1996 11,385 10,716.8 14,213 14,084.3 3,270 3,263.9 1,305 1,278.2 
			 1997 11,909 11,335.9 15,006 14,860.1 3,398 3,390.6 1,343 1,301.0 
			 1998 12,131 11,559.2 15,221 15,042.2 3,496 3,489.5 1,446 1,392.8 
			 1999 12,682 12,085.3 15,239 14,865.9 3,606 3,548.0 1,520 1,474.8 
			 2000 12,730 12,198.9 15,501 15,322.4 3,691 3,683.2 1,659 1,597.4 
			 2001 13,220 12,629.1 15,830 15,642.5 3,742 3,733.2 1,883 1,811.0 
			 2002 13,770 13,031.1 17,135 16,912.0 4,010 3,989.0 1,980 1,907.2 
		
	
	(He) Headcount
	(Wte) Whole time equivalents
	Source:
	Department of Health medical and dental workforce census.

Local Exercise Action Pilots

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health where the Local Exercise Action Pilots are to take place; how his Department will measure the effectiveness of the LEAP pilots; and who will be eligible to participate in the LEAP pilots.

Melanie Johnson: Local Exercise Action Pilots (LEAP) will test out different community approaches to increasing levels of and access to physical activity. They will help to establish the evidence base on what works, and support the delivery of milestones in the national service frameworks and priorities and planning framework. The on-going results will inform and lead action on physical activity across the national health service.
	The LEAP pilots are based in based in primary care trusts (PCT) at:
	Durham Dales PCT;
	Hastings and St. Leonards PCT;
	Great Yarmouth PCT;
	North Kirklees PCT;
	Wandsworth PCT;
	Dudley Beacon and Castle PCT;
	Ashton, Leigh and Wigan PCT;
	Nottingham City PCT; and
	West of Cornwall PCT.
	Eligibility to participate in the pilots depends on the specific groups to be targeted by each pilot. All pilot sites are in neighbourhood renewal areas and up to three are also in sport action zones. The pilots focus on high risk and disadvantaged groups.
	We will be measuring both the effectiveness of the direct interventions in the pilots and the extent to which the physical activity messages in those pilots that are community wide have impacted at a community level.

Low Flying

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessments have been undertaken by the Department of the effect of military low flying exercises on (a) blood pressure, (b) hearing and (c) cardio-vascular state.

Melanie Johnson: The Department has not funded research on the effect of military low flying exercises on blood pressure, hearing or cardio-vascular state in the civilian population.

Lincolnshire NHS Partnership Trust

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) psychiatric doctors, (b) psychiatric nurses, (c) agency nurses and (d) new category primary care mental health workers were employed in Lincolnshire NHS Trust in 2003.

Melanie Johnson: The information is shown in the tables.
	
		Hospital, public health medicine and community health services (HCHS): Doctors in Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Trust (RP7) with a specialty in psychiatric medicine -- Numbers (headcount)
		
			  September 2002 March 2003 
			 England All staff Consultants All staff Consultants 
		
		
			 Psychiatry group total 60 28 (87) 30 
			  
			 Child and adolescent psychiatry 6 4 (87) 5 
			 General Psychiatry 42 16 (87) 17 
			 Learning disabilities 6 4 (87) 3 
			 Old age psychiatry 5 3 (87) 4 
			 Psychotherapy 1 1 (87) 1 
		
	
	(87) Date not available
	Note
	Data as at 30 September or as at 31 March
	Source:
	Department of Health medical and dental workforce census
	
		NHS hospital and community services qualified psychiatric nurses in the Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Trust as at 30 September 2002
		
			  Headcount 
		
		
			 Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Trust 464 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health Non-medical Workforce Census
	Figures for the numbers of agency nurses and new category primary care mental health workers are not held centrally.

Lincolnshire NHS Partnership Trust

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) assertive outreach teams, (b) early intervention teams and (c) crisis resolution teams work in the area of Lincolnshire NHS Trust; and how many of each offer 24 hour cover.

Melanie Johnson: Lincolnshire Partnership National Health Service Trust has three assertive outreach teams and one pilot early intervention team available during office hours. There is also one crisis resolution team, which offers 24-hour cover.

Lincolnshire NHS Partnership Trust

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what facilities exist offering female service users access to a women-only day centre in Lincolnshire NHS Trust.

Melanie Johnson: Lincolnshire Partnership National Health Service Trust does not currently provide a women-only day centre.

Lincolnshire NHS Partnership Trust

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms are in place in Lincolnshire NHS Trust which allow carers to take respite breaks.

Melanie Johnson: The Lincolnshire Partnership National Health Service Trust is working with the mental health charity Rethink to provide comprehensive services for carers across Lincolnshire.

Lincolnshire NHS Partnership Trust

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the number of patients using mental health services has changed over the last two years in the Lincolnshire NHS Trust.

Melanie Johnson: Lincolnshire Partnership National Health Service Trust was established in June 2002. Data on changes in the number of patients using the trust's mental health services over the last two years are therefore not available.

Lincolnshire NHS Partnership Trust

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what special arrangements have been made in the Lincolnshire NHS Trust for (a) homeless people, (b) minority ethnic people and (c) asylum seekers needing mental health services.

Melanie Johnson: The Lincolnshire Partnership National Health Service Trust funds the mental health charity Rethink to provide a homeless persons' officer in Lincoln. It is working with the social services department to develop a race equality scheme for service users. The Trust does not have any special arrangements for asylum seekers needing mental health services.

Maternity Services (Shropshire)

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much of the additional investment given to maternity units from May 2001 has gone to Oswestry's maternity services.

Stephen Ladyman: The extra 100 million announced in May 2001 was invested over two years, 200102 and 200203, to modernise and refurbish maternity units. Over 200 maternity units in the country are benefiting from this new investment. Local services decided on the top local priorities for investment.
	The Royal Shrewsbury Hospital NHS Trust received 896,000, which was spent on modernisation of the Shrewsbury consultant-led unit including sleeping facilities for fathers and a transitional care ward. These facilities benefit mothers from the Oswestry area who give birth at Shrewsbury.

Maternity Services (Shropshire)

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average number of babies born per bed per day was in labour wards in (a) England and (b) Shropshire in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: This information is not available in the form requested. Information about maternities and maternity beds in England is shown in the table. This information is not available for Shropshire.
	
		Number of maternities and available maternity beds, England, 199798 to 200102
		
			  Maternities Available maternity beds Maternities per bed per day 
		
		
			 199798 585,000 10,781 0.15 
			 199899 577,500 10,398 0.15 
			 19992000 565,300 10,203 0.15 
			 200001 549,600 9,767 0.15 
			 200102 541,700 9,812 0.15 
		
	
	Source:
	MaternitiesDH/SD3G
	Available bedsDH/hospital activity statistics

Maternity Services (Shropshire)

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time equivalent midwives were employed by the NHS in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

John Hutton: The information requested is in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of full-time equivalent midwives 
		
		
			 1998 18,168 
			 1999 17,876 
			 2000 17,662 
			 2001 18,048 
			 2002 18,119 
		
	
	Note:
	Data as at 30 September
	Source:
	Department of Health NHS Hospital and Community Health Services
	Non-Medical Workforce Census

Maternity Services (Shropshire)

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps were made to recruit midwives to cover maternity leave before the decision was made to close the maternity unit at the Robert James and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital.

Stephen Ladyman: Posts held by staff on maternity leave are not available to be offered permanently to new staff. However the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital NHS Trust (which is responsible for the maternity unit at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital) has been involved in a number of initiatives to help address the current situation. These include: advertising in the nursing press; and midwifery recruitment stands at the national health service careers fair in Telford and at the Shrewsbury flower show.
	In addition, all midwifery bank shifts available in Shropshire have been used and part-time staff have been asked to work extra shifts. The Trust has also approached two agencies in the area.

Maternity Services (Shropshire)

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the closure of the maternity unit at the Robert James and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital will be temporary.

Stephen Ladyman: The maternity unit at Oswestry, which is managed by the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital NHS Trust, is to close temporarily due to a large number of midwives across Shropshire taking maternity leave. The Trust plans to reopen the unit on 1 April 2004. During this period women in the area will still be able to choose to give birth at either: Shrewsbury general practitioners maternity unit; Shrewsbury consultant maternity unit; home; or at one of the maternity units in Wales.

Maternity Services (Shropshire)

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the cost of refurbishing the maternity unit at the Robert James and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital at Gobowen to the latest quality standards with a projected life span of 25 years.

Stephen Ladyman: This information is not held centrally.

Maternity Services (Shropshire)

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the cost of constructing a maternity unit with eight beds attached to a primary care centre.

Stephen Ladyman: Any estimate of the cost of construction of a particular unit will obviously be subject to a number of local factors. Without further specific information, there are too many variables to make a realistic estimate of the likely costs involved.

Medical Trainees

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) GPs and (b) nurses have been in training in (i) South Tyneside, (ii) the North East and (iii) the UK in each year since 1997.

John Hutton: The numbers (headcount) of general practitioner registrars in South Tyneside primary care trust (PCT), Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and County Durham and Tees Valley strategic health authorities (SHAs) and England in each year since 1997 are shown in table 1.
	
		Table 1-GP registrars in South Tyneside, the North East and England -- Numbers (headcount)
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 June 2003 
		
		
			 South Tyneside PCT (88) (88) 1 1 3 3 4 
			 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear SHA and County Durham and Tees Valley SHA 53 80 77 83 89 110 129 
			 England 1,343 1,446 1,520 1,659 1,883 1,980 2,157 
		
	
	(88) Not available.
	Source:
	Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics.
	The numbers (whole time equivalent) of pre-registration nurses in training in the Northern England and County Durham and Tees Valley Workforce Development Confederations (WDC) and England in each year since 1997 are shown in Table 2. Information is not available at South Tyneside PCT level.
	
		Table 2Number of students in pre-registration nursing and midwifery training between 199899 and 200203 -- Numbers (whole time equivalent)
		
			  199899 19992000 200001 200102 200203 
		
		
			 Northern England WDC and County Durham and Tees Valley WDC 1,973 2,480 2,227 2,915 2,826 
			 England 39,319 44,005 48,422 53,299 58,902 
		
	
	Source:
	Financial and Workforce Information Return.
	Information about GP registrars and nurses in training in Scotland and Wales is the responsibility of the devolved Administrations. Whilst the institutions in Northern Ireland are dissolved, responsibility rests with Ministers in the Northern Ireland Office.

Medicines (Advertisements)

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which over the counter medicines are to be freed from the ban on advertising.

Stephen Ladyman: The Government have recently announced their intention to remove the ban on advertising over the counter (OTC) medicines for certain diseases and conditions. The change will mean that if a product is classified as available for purchase by consumers then they will be able to receive advertising about the medicine.
	The change will affect OTC medicines for the treatment, prevention or diagnosis of bone diseases, cardiovascular diseases, diseases of the liver, biliary system and pancreas, endocrine diseases, genetic disorders, joint, rheumatic and collagen diseases, psychiatric diseases, serious disorders of the eye and ear, serious gastrointestinal diseases, serious neurological and muscular diseases, serious renal diseases, serious respiratory diseases and serious skin disorders. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is not aware of any medicines at present classified as suitable for OTC supply in a number of these categories, including psychiatric diseases, endocrine diseases and genetic diseases.
	Examples of OTC products that will be affected by the change include aspirin 75 mg tablets, calcium/vitamin D preparations, fish oils, isphagula, nitrates and theophylline and aminophylline products. To protect public safety, these changes will not come into force until the necessary guidelines for advertisers are in place and information and training for pharmacy staff have been provided.
	The ban on advertising any prescription-only medicine to the public will remain.

Mental Health

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) mean and (b) median waiting times for (i) initial and (ii) follow-up appointments for accessing respite care for mental health users were in each primary care trust for the most recent three quarters available.

Rosie Winterton: The Department does not hold this information centrally.

Mersey Regional Ambulance Service

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to improve the performance of the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 18 September 2003
	The Mersey Regional Ambulance Service National Health Service Trust has an action plan with the central commissioning group (CCG), which represents the 15 primary care trusts across Cheshire and Merseyside.
	The immediate actions agreed with the CCG include:
	additional resources to provide an intermediate patient transport service whereby out-patient transport staff will be provided with additional training and resources in order to assist with the response to emergency demand;
	introducing additional solo operated rapid response vehicles;
	extending the hours of the existing solo operated rapid response vehicles; and
	introduction of a community paramedic.
	The Mersey Regional Ambulance Service NHS Trust and the CCG are assessing further action needed to ensure the Trust achieves a headline performance of 80 per cent. from April 2004. The Trust will present these plans by October 2003.

Methylphenidate

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he plans to investigate the extent of Methylphenidate prescribing in the UK.

Stephen Ladyman: Information is collected on the number of prescription items of all Methylphenidate drugs dispensed in the community. The data include prescriptions prescribed in general practitioner practices, and prescriptions prescribed in hospitals that have been dispensed in the community. Private prescriptions, and prescriptions dispensed in hospitals are not included. Numbers of prescriptions in England for the years 1997 to 2002 are set out in the table.
	
		
			  Items (Thousand) 
		
		
			 1997 92.1 
			 1998 126.6 
			 1999 158.0 
			 2000 186.2 
			 2001 208.5 
			 2002 254.0 
		
	
	In 2000, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) made an appraisal of the use of Methylphenidate in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). NICE estimated that approximately 1 per cent. of all school-aged childrenabout 69,000 of 6 to 16-year-olds in England met the diagnostic criteria for Hyperkinetic Disorder, the more severe type ADHD, of whom some 45,000 might benefit from Methylphenidate were not receiving this treatment. A review of the appraisal is planned for this year.

Methylphenidate

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) short and (b) long-term adverse effects are described with Methylphenidate.

Stephen Ladyman: Methylphenidate (sold in the UK as Ritalin, Equasym and Concerta XL) is licensed for use in children over six years of age as part of a comprehensive treatment programme for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, where remedial measures alone prove insufficient.
	The most common short-term adverse effects generally occur at the beginning of treatment, and include central nervous system effects, such as nervousness and insomnia, and gastro-intestinal effects, such as abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting.
	The long-term safety and efficacy profiles of methylphenidate are not fully known. This is reflected in the product information of Ritalin provided to prescribers which advises that patients requiring long-term therapy should be carefully monitored. It warns of the risk of moderately reduced weight gain and slight growth retardation with the long-term use of stimulants in children and that careful monitoring of growth is recommended. It also recommends that blood tests should be performed periodically during long-term use.

Microbiology Laboratories

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what systems are in place to ensure that the former Public Health Laboratory Service microbiology laboratories (a) maintain their standards of practice under NHS trusts and (b) continue to report national data statistics to central Government;
	(2)  what safeguards are in place to ensure that food-borne disease is given high priority by the Health Protection Agency when commissioning services from microbiology laboratories;
	(3)  what service level agreements are in place for microbiology laboratories.

Melanie Johnson: The Health Protection Agency is in the final stages of putting in place a detailed service level agreement (SLA) with those national health service trusts from which it is commissioning public health services from NHS microbiology laboratories. Reporting of results, submission of samples and food-related public health work are all specified in detail within the SLA, which provides a clear exposition of the range and level of service required.
	To improve clinical governance, raise quality standards and improve openness and transparency for patients, the Department recently decided that all NHS pathology laboratories in England should enrol with an appropriate accreditation scheme. Further information will be contained in the Department's document on modernising pathology services, which will be published later this year.

Microbiology Laboratories

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what supporting inspection arrangements are in place for microbiology laboratories.

Melanie Johnson: The Department expects to appoint a new inspector of microbiology shortly, with the key aim of ensuring high quality public health and clinical microbiology. His/her functions will include:
	ensuring that all microbiology laboratories providing services to the national health service meet their responsibilities for public health surveillance;
	promoting standards and ensuring quality in the operation of microbiology services;
	identifying significant gaps in specialist and reference microbiological testing that are relevant to public health surveillance;
	achieving adherence to standard operating procedures in diagnostic microbiology.
	To improve clinical governance, raise quality standards and improve openness and transparency for patients, the Department recently decided that all NHS pathology laboratories in England should enrol with an appropriate accreditation scheme. Further information will be contained in the Department's document on modernising pathology services, which will be published in the autumn.

Midwives

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many midwives were employed in the NHS in (a) 1997 and (b) 2002, broken down by health authority.

John Hutton: The information requested is shown in the table. The 1997 health authority data has been mapped into strategic health authority (SHA) area. SHAs were introduced in 2001.
	
		
			 SHA 1997 2002 
		
		
			 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire 715 910 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 541 605 
			 Essex 596 644 
			 South Yorkshire 664 649 
			 Trent 959 1,053 
			 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland 632 644 
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire 638 652 
			 Birmingham and The Black Country 1,261 1,234 
			 Coventry, Warwickshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire 720 739 
			 North West London 864 842 
			 North Central London 535 628 
			 North East London 753 724 
			 South East London 721 769 
			 South West London 587 638 
			 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear 699 675 
			 County Durham and Tees Valley 513 566 
			 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire 703 651 
			 West Yorkshire 1,038 1,021 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire 1,008 985 
			 Greater Manchester 1,683 1,572 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside 1,173 1,276 
			 Thames Valley 876 1,004 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 771 730 
			 Kent and Medway 703 660 
			 Surrey and Sussex 728 1,020 
			 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 1,126 1,091 
			 South West Peninsula 751 797 
			 Dorset and Somerset 427 470 
			 Special health authorities and other statutory bodies 0 0 
			 England 22,385 23,249

Mixed Sex Wards

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which hospitals under the control of primary care trusts have yet to end the use of mixed sex wards.

Melanie Johnson: We have no plans to publish the names of trusts which are yet to meet the target.
	The majority of national health service trusts were successful in eliminating mixed sex accommodation by the target date. The remainder will comply once current Private Finance Initiatives and other building projects are completed. These works affect just 2 per cent. of 10,000 wards and for the trusts involved, only affect a limited proportion of their wards.

MRI Scanners

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many MRI scanners each NHS trust has; and what the age of each machine is.

Melanie Johnson: In the national health service in England, 145 NHS trusts have at least one magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner installed. In total there are currently 206 MRI scanners installed.
	A programme to provide an additional 50 machines was announced on 22 May 2003 as well as funding to support a programme of replacement over the next three years. We anticipate there will be approximately 275 MRI scanners by the end of 2004, and by December 2006, no MRI scanner will be older than 10 years.
	The list of MRI scanners currently installed in the NHS in England has been placed in the Library.

MRSA

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many MRSA cases were reported by each acute trust in each year since 1997.

Melanie Johnson: A new national mandatory surveillance system for healthcare associated infection started with reporting of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) blood stream infections (bacteraemias), in April 2001. All acute trusts in England now collect this information and results for the first year of this scheme (April 2001 to March 2002) were published by individual trust in the Communicable Disease Report Weekly on 20 June 2002. They are available at www.phls.co.uk/publications/cdr/PDFfiles/2002/cdr2502.pdf. Information for 200203 will be published later this year.
	Trust specific data will be published as part of the Chief Medical Officer's longer-term action plan to tackle healthcare associated infections.

MRSA

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 1 September 2003, Official Report, columns 94344W, on MRSA, to the hon. Member for Manchester, Central (Tony Lloyd), when each of the research programmes will report; which other projects are included in the wider programme; and what their completion dates are.

Melanie Johnson: The current research programmes on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), giving lead researcher, project title and project end date, are shown in the table.
	
		
			 Lead researcher Project title Project end date 
		
		
			 Professor Michael R.W. Brown, Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of Bath Dormancy, resistance to antimicrobials and environmental survival. March 2006 
			 Dr. Mark H. Wilcox, Department of Microbiology, Leeds University What is the size and nature of the current need for single room isolation in hospital and how does success or failure to isolate patients affect the control of MRSA? May 2005 
			 Dr. Alasdair MacGowan, Department of Medical Microbiology, Southmead Hospital The development and evaluation of a population-based surveillance programme for antimicrobial resistance. June 2006 
			 Dr. Lucinda M.C. Hall, Department of Microbiology, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry Mechanisms involved in the maintenance of antibiotic resistance. September 2006 
			 Professor Robert J. Pratt, Richard Wells Research Centre, Faculty of Health and Human Sciences, Thames Valley University Collaborative research to reduce the incidence of hospital ward-acquired MRSA colonisation/infection using statistical process control (SPC) feedback and structured diagnosis. February 2006 
			 Dr. Stephanie Dancer, Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health Environmental organisms from hospital wards with differing antibiotic exposure. December 2003 
			 Professor Ian Chopra, Department of Microbiology, University of Leeds Emergence of resistance to linezolid in Staphylococcus aureus and evaluation of combination therapies to suppress resistance. April 2006 
			 Dr. Jennifer A. Roberts, Department of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Faster testing for MRSA: models to estimate the cost-effectiveness of faster testing of cases admitted for hip and knee replacement. November 2004 
			 Dr. Cliodna A.M. McNulty, PHLS Primary Care Unit, Gloucester Royal Hospital Household face-to-face survey of home held antibiotics and awareness of good antibiotic use. September 2004 
			 Dr. David M. Livermore, ARMRL, Central Public Health Laboratory Does hypermutability underlie the rapid clinical emergence of resistant mutant types that are vanishingly rare in vitro? May 2006 
			 Dr. Andrew C. Hayward, UCL Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology Antimicrobial resistance and prescribing (AmRAP): sentinel surveillance using spotter practicesa feasibility study. March 2005 
			 Dr. Andrew C. Hayward, UCL Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology Routine national surveillance of antibiotic prescribing for common infections using the GPRD and PACT data. June 2005 
			 Dr. Anthony J. Howard, Department of Medical Microbiology and Public Health Laboratory, University Hospital of Wales Development of cost-effective surveillance for hospital antibiotic resistance and factors that contribute to its occurrence. March 2006

NHS Advertisement Costs

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS spent on (a) advertising and (b) advertising for personnel in each of the last five years.

John Hutton: Expenditure for the last five years spent on national health service advertising is listed as follows. Advertising for personnel is included in these figures and not available separately.
	
		Advertising costs in the NHS 199798 to 200102 -- 
		
			  199798 199899 19992000 200001 200102 
		
		
			 NHS trusts 45,717,794 59,545,526 64,666,951 91,733,138 101,541,324 
			 Health authorities 3,092,494 3,878,354 5,038,724 8,942,782 7,633,702 
			 Primary care trusts1,279,262 9,970,446 
			 Total 48,810,288 63,423,880 69,705,675 101,955,182 119,145,472

NHS Advertisement Costs

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many advertisements were placed to recruit extra midwives to avoid closing the Oswestry maternity unit; and what the cost of the advertisements was.

Stephen Ladyman: Over the last two years there have been three national advertisements in the nursing press. These have cost a total of about 1,900.

NHS Capital Expenditure

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much capital expenditure has been made by the NHS in (a) the North East and (b) the UK in (i) 1996, (ii) 2000 and (iii) (projected for) 2003.

John Hutton: The table shows capital expenditure in England and in the North East. Expenditure figures for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are the responsibility of the devolved Administrations. The table shows information for England.
	
		Capital expenditure in England and the North East(89)199697, 200001 and 200304 --  millions
		
			  199697 (outturn) 200001 (outturn) 200304(93) (plan) 
		
		
			  
			  
			 North East 44(90),(91) 174(91),(92) n/a(93) 
			 England(94),(95) 1,341 1,246 2,892 
		
	
	Notes:
	(89) Assumed to be the area now covered by Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Strategic Health Authority and County Durham and Tees Valley Strategic Health Authority.
	(90) Source: 199697 Audited Accounts for Health Authorities and the Summarisation Schedules for NHS trusts 199697.
	(91) Figures include health authority, primary care trust and NHS trust fixed assets (tangible and intangible).
	(92) Source: 200001 Audited Accounts for Health Authorities and the Summarisation Schedules for NHS trusts for 200001.
	(93) A comparable figure for 200304 is not available.
	(94) Figure for 199697 is on a cash basis.
	Figure for 200001 is on a stage 1 Resource Budgeting basis.
	Figure for 200304 is on a stage 2 Resource Budgeting basis.
	(95) Due to the move to Resource Accounting and Budgeting (April 2001) figures for England are not comparable across the three years.

NHS Counter-fraud Team

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many investigations of irregularities are underway in the NHS by the NHS Counter-Fraud Team.

John Hutton: The counter fraud and security management service currently has 443 investigations under way relating to alleged fraud in the national health service.

NHS Direct

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the locations of NHS Direct sites.

Rosie Winterton: The location and geographical coverage of the 22 NHS Direct sites are laid out in the table.
	
		
			 NHS Direct site Organisational model Geographical coverage 
		
		
			 Anglia PlanetCamdoc (Cambridgeshire). Satellites (2)Sdoc (Suffolk) and Medicom (Norfolk) Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk 
			 Avon, Gloucester and Wiltshire Single call centreBristol Avon, Gloucester and Wiltshire 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Single call centreBedfordshire Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 
			 Birmingham, Black Country and Solihull HubDudley. Spokes (1 daytime, 2 out of hours)(virtual call centres) 9am-5pmNeptune Health Park, Tipton; out of hoursWalsall, and Selly Oak Birmingham West Midlands 
			 East Midlands Single call centreNottingham Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire 
			 Essex Single call centreEssex Essex, London borough of Barking and Havering 
			 Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Wirral PlanetBolton (Ladybridge Hall). SatelliteManchester Royal Infirmary, Landsmark HouseBolton, Cheshire, Chester and Nantwich Cheshire 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight Single call centreHampshire Hampshire and Isle of Wight 
			 Kent, Surrey and Sussex HubSurrey. SpokeChatham Surrey, Kent and Sussex 
			 Midlandshires Single call centreStafford Staffordshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire, Warwickshire and Worcester 
			 North and Central London Single call centreSt Charles' Hospital, London Barnet, Barking and Havering, Enfield and Haringey, Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster 
			 North East Single call centreNewcastle Northumberland, Tyne and Wear 
			 North East London Single call centreIlford East London and City, Redbridge and Waltham Forest 
			 North West Coast HubPreston (call handling, health information and nursing). Spokes (8)Mersey (Old Swan, Southport and St. Helen's); Lancashire (Chorley, Blackburn and Blackpool); and Cumbria (Carlisle and Kendal) Lancashire, Merseyside and Cumbria 
			 South East London Single call centreDulwich Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham 
			 South West London Single call centreCroydon Croydon, Kingston and Richmond, Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth 
			 South Yorkshire and Humber Call centreSheffield. Call centreDoncaster South Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire, North East Lincolnshire 
			 Tees, East and North Yorkshire HubEast Yorkshire (York). Spokes (3)Middlesbrough, Hull and York East Riding, Cleveland and North Yorkshire 
			 Thames Valley and Northamptonshire HubThames Valley and Northamptonshire. No spoke as yet Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire 
			 West Country HubExeter. Spokes (4)Truro, Plymouth, Taunton (Somerset), St Leonard's (Dorset) Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset 
			 West London Single call centreMiddlesex Hillingdon, Brent and Harrow, Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow 
			 West Yorkshire Single call centreWakefield Calderdale and Kirklees, Leeds Bradford, Wakefield and North Yorkshire 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Hub and SpokeA spoke is a small call centre environment (approximately up to 10 seats) which relies on technology sited at a remotely connected site. The management team and technology is located at the main Hub site.
	2. Planet and SatellitesA satellite is a small call centre environment (approximately up to 10 seats) which relies on technology sited at a remotely connected site. The management team and technology is located at the main Planet site.
	3. Call CentreA call centre is a structured environment specifically set up to manage incoming/outgoing calls from a single location.

NHS Direct

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many calls NHS Direct has received in each year since 1998.

Rosie Winterton: The table shows how many calls have been made to NHS Direct since its launch in March 1998.
	
		
			 Financial Year Total calls handled Accumulative total calls 
		
		
			 199899 110,000 110,000 
			 19992000 1,650,000 1,760,000 
			 200001 3,420,000 5,180,000 
			 200102 5,213,062 10,393,062 
			 200203 6,318,844 16,711,906 
			 2003 to 31 August 2004 2,173,005 18,884,911

NHS Direct

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the most recent vacancy rates were for staff at each NHS Direct site.

Rosie Winterton: Information collected centrally on the most recent vacancy rates for call handlers and nurses at each NHS Direct site is shown in the tables.
	
		Funded establishment against staff in post for the period of August 2003 (whole time equivalent)
		
			 Nurses Funded establishment Staff in post Shortfall (+) Surplus (-) 
		
		
			 Anglia 42 38.8 3.2 
			 Avon 50 46.9 3.1 
			 Beds and Herts 50 43.6 6.4 
			 Birmingham, Black Country and Solihull 50 47.9 2.1 
			 East Midlands 74 67.4 6.6 
			 Essex 52 48.0 4 
			 Manchester, Cheshire and Wirral 80 82.8 -2.8 
			 Hampshire 55 54.5 0.5 
			 KSS 72 62.2 9.8 
			 Midlandshires 58 57.7 0.3 
			 NC London 33 23.1 9.9 
			 North East 60 55.7 4.3 
			 NE London 25 22.4 2.6 
			 NW Coast 70 69.3 0.7 
			 SE London 37 26.4 10.6 
			 SW London 31 23.9 7.1 
			 South Yorkshire and South Humber 42 43.6 -1.6 
			 Tees, East and North Yorkshire 36 33.5 2.5 
			 Thames Valley 54 45.8 8.2 
			 West Country 64.98 61.3 3.68 
			 West London 41 40.0 1 
			 West Yorkshire 60 54.2 5.8 
		
	
	
		Funded establishment against staff in post for the period of August 2003 (whole time equivalent)
		
			 Call Handlers Funded establishment Staff in post Shortfall (+) Surplus (-) 
		
		
			 Anglia 15.22 15.22 0 
			 Avon 33 30.41 2.59 
			 Beds and Herts 24 25.17 -1.17 
			 Birmingham, Black Country and Solihull 25 26.79 -1.79 
			 East Midlands 40 32.72 7.28 
			 Essex 27 24 3 
			 Hampshire 20 14.6 5.4 
			 KSS 30 25.94 4.06 
			 Manchester, Cheshire and Wirral 40 37.88 2.12 
			 Midlandshires 32 32.72 -0.72 
			 NC London 16 14.94 1.06 
			 North East 31 27.12 3.88 
			 NE London 18 16.5 1.5 
			 NW Coast 35 22.1 12.9 
			 SE London 22 23.25 -1.25 
			 SW London 15 12.3 2.7 
			 South Yorkshire and South Humber 29 26.6 2.4 
			 Tees East and North Yorkshire 17 16.05 0.95 
			 Thames Valley 18 19.88 -1.88 
			 West Country 30 27.55 2.45 
			 West London 27 21.6 5.4 
			 West Yorkshire 30 26.6 3.4

NHS Doctors

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many additional doctors he estimates will be required in each NHS trust as a consequence of the recent European Court of Justice ruling on the status of rest periods during on-call duties in the application of the Working Time Directive.

John Hutton: The Department's guidance to the national health serviceHSC 2003/001 Protecting Staff, Delivering ServicesImplementing the European Working Time Directive (EWTD) for Doctors in Training states that while the number of doctors on an individual rota will generally have to increase, trusts should find ways to reduce the number of resident rotas. Thus, the total staffing requirement does not have to increase substantially as a result of the EWTD.
	To assist trusts in meeting the EWTD and to support increases in consultant numbers, the Department has significantly increased the number of Specialist Registrar (SpR) training opportunities. Priority is being given to hospitals facing EWTD challenges when considering the allocation of 1,500 additional locally funded SpR training opportunities available this year.

NHS Finance

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 5 February, Official Report, columns 31516W, on NHS finance, if he will give a comparable percentage of the total NHS expenditure, in cash terms, which is represented by the resource and capital allocations to health authorities and NHS trusts in (a) 199697, (b) 199798, (c) 199899, (d) 19992000 and (e) 200001; and if he will give this as a percentage of the total Department of Health budget for these years and for each year from 200102 to 200506.

John Hutton: The information requested is shown in the tables.
	
		Revenue and capital allocations as a percentage of total net national health service expenditure
		
			  199697 199798 199899 19992000 200001 200102 200203 200304 200405 200506 
		
		
			 Health authority/PCT revenue allocations(96),(97),(98),(99) 63.3 62.9 62.5 78.2 77.9 75.4 76.3 73.5 73.1 72.5 
			 Capital Allocations to: 3.6 3.0 2.5 3.0 2.8 2.6 2.7
			 Regional capital planning total(100)0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 NHS Trusts1.2 1.2 1.2 
			 Strategic health authorities(101)1.3 1.3 1.3 
		
	
	
		Revenue and Capital allocations as a percentage of total Net Department of Health expenditure -- Percentage of total net Department of Health expenditure(102)
		
			  199697 199798 199899 19992000 200001 200102 200203 200304 200405 200506 
		
		
			  
			  
			 Health authority/PCT revenue allocations(96),(97),(98),(99) 61.8 61.8 61.3 76.9 69.2 57.9 64.7 62.8 63.2 63.1 
			 Capital allocations to: 3.5 3.0 2.5 2.9 2.5 2.0 2.3
			 Regional capital planning total(100)0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 NHS trusts1.1 1.1 1.1 
			 Strategic Health Authorities(101)1.1 1.1 1.1 
		
	
	(96) Allocations made in 2003 cover the three-year period 200304 to 200506. For the first time allocations have been made directly to PCTs. Prior to 2003 allocations were made to health authorities.
	(97) 19992000 was the first year of unified allocations covering HCHS, prescribing and CMS cash limited. These figures are not comparable to those for previous years which cover HCHS only.
	(98) The 200001 figure includes a further 660 million distributed after main allocations were announced.
	(99) The 200102 figure includes 140 million extra, distributed after main allocations were announced.
	(100) Up to and including 200203, capital allocations were made to the Department of Health's regional offices.
	(101) For allocation later to PCTs and NHS trusts to fund larger capital projects which required business case approval.
	(102) Includes expenditure on personal social services distributed to local authorities.
	It is not appropriate to show the total of revenue and capital allocations as a percentage of the national health service budget. This is because NHS trust capital allocations are financed, in part, through primary care trust (PCT) revenue allocations. Adding the two allocations together would mean double counting this element of expenditure.
	In addition to PCT revenue allocations, a number of revenue budgets currently held centrally will be issued to PCTs later, for example, for personal medical services pilot schemes. These will mean that PCTs will control more than 75 per cent. of the NHS budget from 200304 onwards.

NHS Pay Negotiations

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the NHS Confederation to take full responsibility for pay negotiations within the NHS.

John Hutton: Discussions are currently taking place with the national health service confederation. I expect firm proposals to emerge later this year.

NHS Pensions

Howard Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on why in figure 3.1 of the Department of Health annual report 2003 the cost of NHS pensions for 200102 is almost twice as high as that in any other year; and why it was decided to issue the figures without an explanatory note.

John Hutton: The national health service pensions figures in figure 3.1 of the Department's annual report 2003 shows the request for resource figure. This resource based expenditure figure comprises primarily of the increase in total scheme liability plus the interest payable on the total liability, less income receivable including employer and employee contributions and transfers into the scheme.
	The relatively large increase in 200102, is as a result of two factors.
	The first was the one-off strengthening of assumptions used by the Government Actuaries Department for calculating the total liability of the NHS pension scheme.
	The second was the updating of base data used for the actuarial assessment of total NHS pension liability.

NHS Staff

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many individuals employed by the NHS hold the position of (a) chief executive, (b) finance director and (c) director of public health.

John Hutton: Chief executives and finance directors are included within the senior managers category of the non medical work force census but are not separately identifiable. As at 30 September 2002, there were 11,859 senior managers working in the national health service. The majority of the 616 NHS organisations (primary care trusts, NHS trusts, strategic health authorities, special health authorities and other statutory bodies) employ both a chief executive and a finance director.
	As at 30 June 2003, there were 256 directors of public health.

NHS Staff

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the total NHS work force (a) medical and dental staff and (b) administration and estates staff represented in each of the last seven years.

John Hutton: The information requested is shown in the tables.
	
		Total employed NHS staff and in the specified staff groups in England as at 30 September in each year -- Whole time equivalents and percentages
		
			  1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			 Total employed staff 846,128 844,329 853,304 871,533 890,660 929,006 976,573 
			 of which:
			 All doctors(103) 79,807 82,789 84,770 86,679 88,678 90,868 95,611 
			 (Percentage) 9.4 9.8 9.9 9.9 10.0 9.8 9.8 
			 All administration and estates(104) 167,426 166,960 167,701 172,765 178,533 188,526 201,777 
			 (Percentage) 19.8 19.8 19.7 19.8 20.0 20.3 20.7 
			 Administration and estates(105)(excluding support to clinical staff) 105,539 104,487 103,737 107,094 109,281 114,494 122,483 
			 (Percentage) 12.5 12.4 12.2 12.3 12.3 12.3 12.5 
		
	
	(103) Consists of GPs (excluding retainers) and hospital and community health services medical and dental staff (excluding locums).
	(104) Consists of all managers and senior managers and all clerical and administrative staff employed within all areas of workcentral functions, hotel, property and estates, STT support, clinical support and ambulance service support (includes support to clinical staff).
	(105) Consists of all managers and senior managers and those clerical and administrative staff and maintenance and works staff within central functions and hotel, property and estates (excludes support to clinical staff).
	Sources:
	Department of Health Non-Medical Workforce Census.
	Department of Health Medical and Dental Workforce Census.
	Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics.
	
		Total employed NHS staff and in the specified staff groups in England as at 30 September in each year -- Headcount and percentages
		
			  1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			 Total employed staff 1,056,501 1,058,686 1,071,562 1,097,376 1,117,841 1,166,016 1,223,824 
			 of which:
			 All doctors(106) 86,584 89,619 91,837 93,981 96,319 99,169 103,350 
			 (Percentage) 8.2 8.5 8.6 8.6 8.6 8.5 8.4 
			 All administration and estates(107) 196,529 196,695 198,540 204,617 212,017 224,033 239,568 
			 (Percentage) 18.6 18.6 18.5 18.6 19.0 19.2 19.6 
			 Administration and estates(108)(excluding support to clinical staff) 117,628 116,833 116,514 120,226 123,275 129,053 138,086 
			 (Percentage) 11.1 11.0 10.9 11.0 11.0 11.1 11.3 
		
	
	(106) Consists of GPs (excluding retainers) and hospital and community health services medical and dental staff (excluding locums).
	(107) Consists of all managers and senior managers and all clerical and administrative staff employed within all areas of workcentral functions, hotel, property and estates, STT support, clinical support and ambulance service support (includes support to clinical staff).
	(108) Consists of all managers and senior managers and those clerical and administrative staff and maintenance and works staff within central functions and hotel, property and estates (excludes support to clinical staff).
	Sources:
	Department of Health Non-Medical Workforce Census.
	Department of Health Medical and Dental Workforce Census.
	Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics.

NHS Staff

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the job titles included under support staff in the NHS.

John Hutton: Job titles of staff within National Health Service organisations are determined at a local level and are not collated centrally. The annual NHS work force census records staff by a system of occupational coding introduced in 1995. Descriptions of the occupational codes that are included in the staff groupings, support to clinical staff and NHS infrastructure support in the publication of the September 2002 non-medical workforce census results have been placed in the Library.

NHS Staff

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) consultants, (b) nurses, (c) support staff, (d) ambulance staff and (e) therapists left the NHS in 200203.

John Hutton: Data collected by the Department record the net change in staff numbers rather than the number of leavers or joiners. As at 30 September 2002, there were 1,288 more consultants, 17,140 more nurses, 18,634 more clinical support staff, 754 more qualified ambulance staff and 2,139 more qualified allied health professionals working in the National Health Service than there were in September 2001.

Nightingale Wards

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the NHS trusts which have yet fully to eliminate Nightingale wards.

John Hutton: The elimination of Nightingale wards for older people has been included in the planning and priorities framework 200306 as one of the Department's key investment priorities. A target has been set for the elimination of Nightingale wards for older people by April 2004. A report will be made at that time.

Notifiable Diseases

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2003, Official Report, column 629W, on notifiable diseases, what the timetable is for the review of the infectious disease law.

Melanie Johnson: No specific timetable has yet been set for the review, but we intend that it should take account of the new emergency powers which it is planned to provide through the Civil Contingencies Bill.

Nursing

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the training arrangements in NHS trusts to ensure that nursing staff are trained to use existing and new medical equipment.

John Hutton: Working TogetherLearning Together, the framework for lifelong learning, published in November 2001, specifies national health service trust responsibilities for staff education and development and for ensuring that they have clear local procedures to make sure that all staff are trained to operate new and existing medical equipment in a safe and effective way. It states that, all NHS employer organisations, supported by Workforce Development Confederations will have in place a clear organisational strategy and annual plan for education, training and development which links explicitly with local modernisation priorities and the delivery of clinical governance.
	The proposed introduction of the knowledge and skills framework through pay modernisation will strengthen the identification of the skills and competencies of nurses to undertake certain work. Similarly, the introduction of the NHS University will also strengthen the availability of learning opportunities.
	We are investing over 30 million a year in improving continuing professional development infrastructure through workforce development confederations so that health professionals can maintain and improve the standards of care they provide. This will include learning to use new equipment and new techniques as they are introduced.
	In addition, our care group workforce teams are reviewing the skills and competencies required to implement our priorities to improve the NHS through the national service frameworks. This work will identify the key skills needed in the NHS.

Nursing

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurse vacancies there are at Southend General Hospital.

John Hutton: The total number of nurse vacancies at Southend General Hospital is not recorded centrally. However, the number of three-month vacancies for qualified nurses at Southend Hospital National Health Service Trust at 31 March 2003 was 19.

Nursing

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people there are in each of the registered nursing care contribution bands.

Stephen Ladyman: This information is not held centrally.

Nursing

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the availability of (a) defibrillators, (b) ECG machines, (c) portable oxygen and (d) infusion pumps to nursing staff within the NHS.

Melanie Johnson: No national assessment has been made. All national health service trusts and health authorities in England have access to a national contract for portable oxygen cylinders.
	Infusion pumps, electro-cardiogram machines and defibrillators are bought at local level by individual trusts.

Nursing

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the extent to which single use medical equipment is re-used within the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: The Department is funding a research project to establish whether single use instruments are being re-used and, if so, the scale of reuse. This project will guide the Department, the National Patient Safety Agency and the Medical and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on whether future guidance is required. Previous research has highlighted the issue of re-using medical devices designated for single use only.

Older People

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the National Service Framework for older people milestones on (a) strategic and operational plans to promote healthy ageing and disease prevention in older people, (b) local health systems demonstrating improvements and moving towards benchmarked intervention rates, (c) skills profile of staff who care for older people in hospital, (d) analysis of levels and patterns of key intervention rates to establish best practice benchmarks and (e) one-stop dispensing/dispensing for discharge scheme were achieved.

Stephen Ladyman: Information on such milestones has not been collected centrally. A monitoring exercise conducted at the end of 2002 suggested that 54 per cent., of hospitals have a 'one-stop' dispensing/dispensing for discharge scheme and, where appropriate, self administration schemes for medicines for older people .
	Responsibility for monitoring progress with these milestones and ensuring that any shortcomings are addressed rests with strategic health authorities.

Older People

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken to measure the National Service Framework for older people milestones on (a) additional people receiving intermediate care services promoting rehabilitations compared with the 19992000 baseline and (b) jointly appointed co-ordinators for intermediate care.

Stephen Ladyman: The specific information requested is not collected centrally. Responsibility for monitoring progress and delivering these services rests with strategic health authorities, who must ensure that milestones are met and, where appropriate, joint working arrangements are developed to ensure delivery.
	During a stocktake exercise conducted by the Department in January 2002, 87 per cent. of national service framework local implementation teams reported that an intermediate care co-ordinator was in place.

Older People

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken to monitor achievement of the National Service Framework for older people milestones that information provided to older people is reviewed and action plans developed to correct shortcomings.

Stephen Ladyman: Joint responsibility for ensuring that reviews of information take place and shortcomings are addressed rests with strategic health authorities and local authorities, who must ensure that milestones are met and joint working arrangements are developed to ensure delivery.
	Councils reported brief progress information to the social services inspectorate (SSI) as part of the in-year monitoring programme for 200203. This information is available at www.doh.gov.uk/ssi/ciann-12.htm. More recent and detailed information about progress in 200304 is being gathered by SSI from the councils during the autumn and the results will be available in January 2004.

Older People

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made in meeting the National Service Framework for Older People target of having an additional 5,000 intermediate care beds and 1,700 non-residential intermediate care places in place by March 2004 compared with the 19992000 baseline.

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people received intermediate care preventing hospital admission in each region under the National Service Framework for Older People;
	(2)  how many people received intermediate care services promoting rehabilitation in each region under the National Service Framework for Older People;
	(3)  how many intermediate care beds in each region have been set up under the National Service Framework for Older people.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 18 September 2003
	By the end of June 2003, there were approximately 3,600 additional intermediate care beds and approximately 12,800 additional non-residential places compared with the 19992000 baseline. During the year 200203 approximately 143,200 additional people received intermediate care services, compared with the 19992000 baseline. It is not possible to break this down into the categories requested.
	It is not possible to make comparisons by region due to restructuring within the National Health Service.

Operation Costs

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the variation in the cost of operations in NHS hospitals and health authorities in the last 12 months.

John Hutton: Data showing the variation of national health service unit costs are provided through the reference cost index. Since the data are provided at health care resource group (groupings of treatment episodes similar in resource use and clinical response) level, it is not possible to determine the variation in the cost of operations specifically. In addition, reference cost data for the financial year 200203 will not be available until the autumn.
	The Department's report provides an analysis of 200102 reference cost data. This shows that the variation in unit costs across NHS trusts, measured by the standard deviation, fell from 21.2 in 200001 to 16.9 in 200102.

Ophthalmology

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to introduce tariffs for ophthalmological procedures which take into account the complexity of a case.

John Hutton: The Department is currently introducing a new way of funding national health service providers for the care that they provide. Under this system, the prices charged to primary care trusts will be based on a national tariff which takes account of the complexity of different cases by using healthcare resource groups.
	The first phase of this implementation started this year and includes all additional in-patient and daycase activity for cataract surgery. From 200506, all activity within ophthalmology will be undertaken at the national tariff.

Organ Donors

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the effect of using the electoral registration form to increase the number of organ donors; what discussions he has had with (a) ministerial colleagues and (b) others about this scheme; if he will make it his policy to ensure the scheme continues; what other plans he has to increase the number of organ donors; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The Electoral Commission has issued guidance on including additional non-electoral material on or with electoral registration forms. Circular EC23/2003 can be found at http://www.electoralcommission.gov.uk. The guidance makes clear that the ultimate decision on whether or not to include any additional material with electoral registration forms rests with individual electoral registration officers.
	People are encouraged to join the organ donor register through a number of initiatives, including when they apply for a driving licence, register with a new general practitioner or, apply for a new passport. Additionally, UK Transplant runs publicity campaigns and targets action to raise the profile of organ donation, including specific advertising and information campaigns to increase organ donation from the South Asian and black African and Caribbean populations.

Out-patient Care

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the (a) percentage change in elective activity and (b) percentage change in out-patient referrals from general practitioners in each of the last five years.

John Hutton: The tables show national figures for elective admissions and general practitioner referrals for first out-patient appointments over the last five years.
	
		Elective general and acute admissions, England 199697 to 200203
		
			  Elective admissions (thousand) Percentage growth from previous year Percentage growth over five years 
		
		
			 199798 4,655 2.0  
			 199899 5,093 9.4  
			 19992000 5,160 1.3  
			 200001 5,277 2.3  
			 200102(109) 5,314 0.7  
			 200203(110) 5,552 4.5 19.3 
		
	
	(109) Earlier figures are from health authorities. With the abolition of health authorities, figures for 200102 and 200203 are estimated based on growth in NHS trusts.
	(110) These are provisional figures for admissions commissioned by the NHS.
	Source:
	Department of Health, SaFFR
	
		GP and dental practitioner written referrals for first consultant out-patient appointments, England 199798 to 200203
		
			  Number of referrals Percentage growth from previous year Percentage growth over five years 
		
		
			 199798 8,991,722   
			 199899 9,139,785 1.6  
			 19992000 9,141,425 0.0  
			 200001 9,362,770 2.4  
			 200102 9,470,342 1.1  
			 200203 9,655,874 2.0 7.4 
		
	
	Note:
	These figures are for GP and dental practitioner written referrals received by NHS hospitals provider based. They will include some private patients, and some patients who live outside England.
	Source:
	Department of Health form QM08

Overseas Nurses

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it a requirement for all private nurse recruitment agencies, who supply staff to the NHS, to sign up to his Department's code of practice governing the recruitment of overseas nurses.

John Hutton: Workforce development confederations are working with trusts to ensure they comply with the code of practice and only work with agencies who are compliant.
	We strongly recommend trusts to incorporate the code of practice in contracts with agencies.
	A list of agencies compliant with the code of practice is available at www.doh.gov.uk/international-recruitment.

PAF PI C33

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital admissions due to falls or hypothermia as recorded in PAF PI C33 were recorded in each of the last five years.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of admissions due to falls or hypothermia as recorded in PAF PI C33 for the last five years are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Number of admissions 
		
		
			 199798 72,416 
			 199899 77,854 
			 19992000 80,711 
			 200001 78,787 
			 200102 80,034 
		
	
	The figures have been calculated on the same basis as those used to form the numerator part of the C33 indicator. Data are calculated for patients aged 75 or over and resident in England.

Patient Care

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guarantees of further treatment are given to patients whose operations are cancelled at the last minute.

John Hutton: Since 1 April 2002, the NHS Plan cancelled operations guarantee has been in place. It states:
	if a patient's operation is cancelled by the hospital on the day of surgery for non-clinical reasons, the hospital will have to offer another binding date within a maximum of the next 28 days or fund the patient's treatment at the time and hospital of the patient's choice.
	Since 1 April 2003, the guarantee covers those patients who are cancelled 'at the last minute', that is, on the day patients are due to arrive or after arrival in hospital or on the day of their operation.

Patient Environment and Action Team Reports

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the most recent reports of the Patient Environment and Action Team inspection units for acute trusts in the Northern and Yorkshire statistical area.

John Hutton: The results of the Patient Environment Action Team (PEAT) assessments for all hospitals included in the 2003 assessment were published on the NHS Estates' website on 13 August 2003.
	There are no plans to publish PEAT reports, although each national health service trust received a copy for each of their hospitals included in the assessment.

Personal Care (Voluntary Organisations)

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of (a) the increase in aggregate indemnity insurance costs borne by voluntary organisations involved in the personal care sector between 200001 and 200304 and (b) the resultant impact on activity levels of such voluntary organisations.

Stephen Ladyman: Information on the level of insurance costs paid by voluntary organisations involved in personal care is not collected centrally. We have consequently no way of relating back any measure of activity relating to the care sector with any change to insurance costs. However, overall activity levels in the care sector have increased over this period: since 1997 the number of older residents supported by local authorities in care homes has increased by 3,000, and the number of households receiving intensive home care, ten hours or more and six plus visits, increased from 72,300 in 2000 to 81,500 in 2002. We cannot, however, determine any relationship between this increase in overall activity to either voluntary sector providers or to any change in liability insurance costs.

Plasma

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to make virally inactivated fresh frozen plasma available to patients requiring blood transfusions.

Melanie Johnson: Most United Kingdom fresh frozen plasma (FFP) is not virally inactivated. High levels of safety are achieved by using leucodepleted blood from single donors, by screening out potential high risk donors and by testing every unit of donated blood for the presence of infections such as HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C before it is released to hospitals.
	The decision taken to import FFP from the United States for young babies and children born after I January 1996 will provide additional protection to the most vulnerable group, who will not have been exposed to BSE through the food chain. The National Blood Authority is currently involved in negotiating for supplies of FFP for this group of patients. This FFP will be virally inactivated and its planned availability is later this year. A commercially produced virally inactivated FFP product, sourced from the United States, is also available for the national health service to purchase.

Plasma

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent evidence he has received concerning the risks to patients associated with the transfusion of blood plasma.

Melanie Johnson: The sixth report (200102) on the serious hazards of transfusion was published on 17 July 2003. The report provides an updated analysis of serious transfusion hazards in the United Kingdom. A copy of the report and summary findings is available at http://www.shotuk.org/.

Polypill

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Under-Secretary of State's letter, PO 1032287, of 13 August, what action he is taking to explore proposals for the polypill.

Melanie Johnson: Roger Boyle, national director for heart disease, has invited the lead researchers to attend a meeting in October to discuss the polypill proposals. Although there are some clear attractions, there are significant clinical, practical and financial implications that need to be explored further.

Post-operative Care

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research has been carried out into the impact of increasing the number of critical care beds on post-operative death rates.

John Hutton: The Department has not conducted any research on the impact of increasing the number of critical care beds on post-operative death rates.
	The policy research programme has recently been asked to commission research on early warning scoring systems and outreach services for adult critical care; both of which can help improve experience and outcomes for patients with potential or actual need of critical care services.

Post-operative Deaths

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research has been carried out into comparative post-operative death rates at hospitals in England.

John Hutton: holding answer 15 September 2003
	The national health service performance ratings include an assessment of post-operative death rates for English trusts. These allow a survey of trust performance and the overall England figure.
	The information is available at: http://www.doh. gov.uk/performanceratings/
	This web site gives links to the published rates for:
	National health service performance ratings and indicators: July 2002;
	Performance ratings: September 2001;
	Performance indicators: February 2002; and
	Performance indicators: July 2000.
	Information on the July 2003 star ratings published by the Commission for Health Improvement is available at: http://www.chi.nhs.uk/eng/ratings/2003/

Post-operative Deaths

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list post-operative death rates, by hospital, for each of the last five years.

John Hutton: holding answer 15 September 2003
	A continuous series of rates for the last five years is not available, as there have been refinements and improvements in the definitions used form year to year.
	However, rates have been previously published. The information is available at: http://www.doh.gov.uk/performanceratings/
	This website gives links to the published rates for:
	National health service performance ratings and indicators: July 2002;
	Performance ratings: September 2001;
	Performance indicators: February 2002; and
	Performance indicators: July 2000.
	Information on the July 2003 star ratings published by the Commission for Health Improvement is available at: http://www.chi.nhs.uk/eng/ratings/2003/ Please note, though, that the definition and coverage of the post-operative mortality rate changes from year to year.

Post-operative Deaths

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the post-operative death rate cited by the research undertaken by University College, London, and Columbia University for the Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth, is in line with that for other United Kingdom hospitals.

John Hutton: holding answer 15 September 2003
	In the 2003 performance ratings, Portsmouth Hospitals National Health Service Trust had a post-surgical mortality rate that was assessed to be not significantly different from the England average.
	Further information is available at: http://www. chi.nhs.uk/eng/ratings/2003/

Prescriptions

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total value of prescriptions for privately prescribed medicines made out to patients eligible for NHS treatment was in the most recent 12 months for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: The Department does not collect information on private prescriptions.

Primary Care

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the elements of primary care trust funding which are ring fenced for specific purposes for this financial year.

John Hutton: In 200304, the only funding protected by a statutory ring fence is the out of hours development fund.

Primary Care

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the (a) deficits and (b) underspends for each primary care trust for 200203.

John Hutton: Audited financial information in respect of the 200203 year for all primary care trusts is published in their individual annual accounts. This information will not be available centrally until the end of October 2003.

Primary Care

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many school nurses per child of school age there were in each primary care trust in the last year for which figures are available.

John Hutton: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Private Health Care Providers

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what contacts at official level there have been between his Department and United Healthcare group over the past three years.

Stephen Ladyman: Ministers and officials have had a number of discussions and meetings with representatives of United Healthcare Group since summer 2002.
	In November 2002, a framework agreement was signed between the Secretary of State for Health and United Healthcare Group. Under this agreement, United Healthcare Group carried out scoping work with ten primary care trusts (PCTs) to produce recommendations on how the 'Evercare' model of care for the at-risk elderly could be implemented by those PCTs. As part of this work, two Departmental officials accompanied representatives from the communities covered by the ten PCTs on a study visit to United Healthcare Group's operations in Minnesota.

Private Health Care Providers

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which private healthcare companies expressed interest in the pilots contracted to United Healthcare at competitive tender stage.

Stephen Ladyman: The services provided by United Healthcare Group under the framework agreement with the Secretary of State for Health and under the contracts with 10 individual primary care trusts fall into the category of administrative healthcare services and are not subject to a competitive tendering process under European or domestic procurement law.

Private Health Care Providers

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on his Department's contract with United Healthcare and the Evercare pilots.

Stephen Ladyman: A framework agreement was signed between the Secretary of State for Health and United Healthcare Group in November 2002. This covered initial scoping workcompleted in February 2003and provided for call-off contracts between United Healthcare Group and individual primary care trusts (PCTs).
	Nine PCTs have entered into contracts with United Healthcare Group for support services to help them to implement the 'Evercare' model of care for the at-risk elderly. One PCT has entered into a contract for support services to help them predict demand for health care and to plan services and workforce accordingly.

Private Health Care Providers

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the areas piloting the United Healthcare Evercare programme; and if he will list for each pilot the percentage change in bed occupancy achieved by the programme.

Stephen Ladyman: The following primary care trusts are implementing the 'Evercare' model of care for the at-risk elderly: Airedale; Bexley; Bristol North; Bristol South and West; Halton; Luton; South Gloucestershire; Walsall; and Wandsworth.
	Implementation began in April 2003 and runs to October 2004. The early stages have involved recruiting general practitioner practices and nurses, identifying the at-risk population and training the nurses. Evaluation and monitoring, including bed occupancy rates, is built into the contracts and will be available at a later stage.

Prostate Cancer

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what efforts are being made to monitor the satisfaction of prostate cancer patients with their NHS treatment; and what the findings are.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 16 September 2003
	A national cancer patient survey took place in 2001. Over 65,000 cancer patients discharged between July 1999 and June 2000 responded, including almost 11,000 men with prostate cancer. The outcome of the survey was published in July 2002 and it is available at: http://www.doh.gov.uk/nhspatients/cancersurvey. It provides a baseline measurement of cancer patients' experience of care in the national health service against which improvements can be monitored.
	Overall the survey showed patients reporting:
	confidence in the doctors responsible for their care;
	being treated with dignity and respect;
	understanding the explanation of their diagnosis; and
	being involved in decision making as much as they wanted.
	However it also pointed to areas where improvements needed to be made, for example:
	the provision of written information;
	being informed about support/self help groups.
	The results of the survey were shared with, among others, cancer networks and NHS Trusts who should have studied their local results and taken action to respond to them.
	Responsibility for the national survey programme has now moved to the Commission for Health Improvement.
	In September 2002, the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) published improving outcomes guidance for urological cancers, including prostate cancer. This guidance included the need for providers to carry out surveys of patients experience to assess the adequacy of each component of patient-centred care. This guidance is informing the development of urological cancer standards for inclusion in the Manual of Cancer Services Standards against which cancer networks will be peer reviewed.

Prostate Cancer

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) urologists, (b) pathologists, (c) radiologists and (d) prostate cancer nurses have been working in the NHS on prostate cancer cases in each of the last five years.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 16 September 2003
	The total number of urologists, pathologists and radiologists working in the National Health Service in each of the last five years is shown in the table. The data collected by the Department does not specify in which area of care these staff are employed. The Department does not collect the number of prostate nurses working in the NHS.
	
		Doctors in selected specialties, England, by year -- As at 30 September each year(111) Numbers (headcount)
		
			  1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 March 2003 
			  All staff consultantof which All staff consultantof which All staff consultantof which All staff consultantof which All staff consultantof which Consultant 
		
		
			 Histopathology(112) 1,100 828 1,129 836 1,199 865 1,291 915 1,374 968 994 
			 Clinical radiology 2,075 1,481 2,164 1,507 2,303 1,585 2,454 1,645 2,538 1,702 1,781 
			 Urology 961 358 1,024 388 1,052 382 1,115 427 1,164 448 466 
		
	
	(111) Except 2003 where data is as at 31 March
	(112) Histopathology includes general pathology and neuropathologySource:Department of Health medical and dental workforce census

Public Analysts Laboratories

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many public analysts' laboratories there were in England and Wales checking foodstuffs in 1996; and how many there are in 2003.

Melanie Johnson: There were 26 public analysts' laboratories in England and Wales checking foodstuffs in 1996 and there are currently 23 public analysts' laboratories doing such work.

Public Appointments

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of NHS Trust, Health Authority and Primary Care Trust board members were (a) women, (b) ethnic minorities and (c) disabled in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The information available for the percentages of appointments to national health service boards in each category is as follows:
	
		Percentage
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Women 39 (113)42.3 47.5 48.7 48.5 47.8 47.4 
			 Black and Ethnic Minority 5 (113)7.5 10.6 12.3 12.9 11.5 10.5 
			 Disabled n/a n/a n/a n/a 3.2 3.1 4.3 
		
	
	(113) Includes figures for non-departmental public bodies.

Public Appointments

Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) chairmen, (b) chief executives and (c) other board members have resigned from, or not sought re-appointment to, an NHS Trust Board in each of the last six years.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not collected, either by the National Health Service Appointments Commission or by the Department.

Public Appointments

Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women have been appointed by the NHS Appointments Commission to the position of (a) NHS Trust Chair and (b) NHS Trust board member.

Rosie Winterton: Of those board members appointed by the National Health Service Appointments Commission who are still in post, 84 chairs are women (43.8 per cent.) and 402 non-executives are women (47.2 per cent.).

Public Appointments

Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been appointed by the NHS Appointments Commission to the position of (a) NHS Trust Chief Executive and (b) NHS Trust board member, broken down by a declared background in (i) medicine, (ii) nursing and (iii) other professions allied to medicine.

Rosie Winterton: Chief executives are appointed by the chair and non-executives of National Health Service boards, not by the NHS Appointments Commission. The information requested on the backgrounds of chairs and non-executive directors could be produced only at disproportionate cost.

Public Appointments

Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) executive and (b) non-executive NHS Trust directors have gone on to become (i) Chairmen and (ii) Chief Executives of an NHS Trust.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not collected either by the National Health Service Appointments Commission or the Department.

Radiology

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what targets have been set for the electronic transfer of radiology reports; what the baseline is for the target; in which document the target was published; and what progress has been made towards the target.

John Hutton: The Government's strategy document, Building the Information CoreImplementing the NHS Plan published in 2000 set the target of March 2003 for all radiology reports between hospital and general practitioners to be sent electronically. This target was based on the use of messaging technology. Work in this area has been superseded by the national programme for information technology in the national health service and the development of the integrated care records service (ICRS). Electronic transfer of radiology reports forms one element of phase 1 that will be implemented by December 2004.
	It was decided to suspend roll out of the message based technology for radiology reports as a more modern, reliable and cost effective set of technology options are available within the development of the online database system, for the ICRS. This will provide a more reliable arrangement with lower unit costs and increased flexibility for clinicians.

Recruitment

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans there are for the NHS to advertise for (a) consultants, (b) general practitioners, (c) nursing and midwifery staff and (d) professions allied to medicine in the foreign media; if he will list such campaigns since 1 May 1997; and what the (i) cost of each advertisement and (ii) the total cost was.

John Hutton: National health service trusts are responsible for their own recruitment and no data on the number and costs of their advertisements in the foreign media are held centrally.
	Since 1 May 1997 the following annual costs for advertising in foreign media have been incurred by the Department to recruit healthcare professionals for the NHS.
	
		
		
			 Year Consultants and GPs NHS International Fellowships Nurses Allied Health Professionals Total 
		
		
			 200102 61,874 12,403   74,277 
			 200203 194,888 188,455   383,343 
			 200304 501.63 36,922.53 12,967.28 7,972.98 58,364 
			 Total 515,984 
		
	
	Further advertising is planned to support the Department-led international recruitment campaigns for consultants, general practitioners, nurses and allied health professionals.

Rural Standards Inspections

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to provide for (a) the Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection and (b) the Commission for Social Care Inspection to monitor rural standards as part of their inspection regime.

Rosie Winterton: The Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection (CHAI) will monitor the provision of health care and the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) will monitor the provision of social care in all localities, including rural areas as part of their function.
	It will be for CHAI and CSCI to decide, as independent bodies, whether they choose to carry out particular work that relates only to rural areas, or a specific geographic area.

SARS

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the letter of 28 May 2003, reference PO 102 7835, what action he has taken since 28 May 2003 to assess the evolving situation of SARS.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 17 July 2003
	Our policy with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has been kept under continuous review and amended according to the current and anticipated situation in the United Kingdom.
	There have been reports of suspected cases of SARS in both Singapore and Hong Kong. The World Health Organisation actively follow up any suspected cases and will issue an alert if confirmed. In the meantime, the Department, along with the Health Protection Agency, is carrying out a number of reviews covering surveillance, national health service guidance and exit screening.

Secondments

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether personnel from his Department have been seconded to offer advice and assistance in Iraq.

Stephen Ladyman: Since 13 May, there have been 11 personnel from this Department seconded to offer advice and assistance in Iraq. Four personnel have since returned and seven personnel are still in Iraq.

Secondments

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff are on secondment in each acute trust in the North-West region; what the (a) job titles and (b) grade of such staff are; and what type of training is being undertaken.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 17 September 2003
	The information requested is not held centrally.

Sexual Assault Referral Centres

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether it is his policy that foundation hospitals will accommodate sexual assault referral centres;
	(2)  if he will make it his policy that in areas where there are no foundation hospitals in the short term sexual assault referral centres should be located at major general hospitals.

Melanie Johnson: The development and funding of sexual assault referral centres is the responsibility of primary care trusts and the relevant local police force. Currently, a number of different models exist, which include centres located within or attached to hospitals. Encouraging the further roll-out of such centres is a matter for the Ministerial Committee on Sex Offending.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on NHS sexual health clinics, the demand for these services and the ability of these clinics to cater for this demand.

Melanie Johnson: The Department recognises that additional investment in sexual health services is required to tackle poor sexual health. This is why we have already invested 15 million to improve access to genito-urinary medicine (GUM) services and reduce waiting times; 9.5 million in chlamydia screening, and 5 million in termination of pregnancy services. In response to concerns expressed by the health committee and others about sexual health services, an additional 11 million will be allocated this year. This will comprise 5 million for GUM services; 5 million to improve chlamydia testing, and 1 million for contraceptive services. In line with the health committee's recommendations, the Department is also actively exploring the introduction of a 48-hour waiting time performance indicator for GUM services.

Smoking

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment has been made of the NHS smoking cessation campaign; what plans there are to assist the campaign; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: The current tobacco education campaign was launched in December 1999, following the publication of the White Paper, 'Smoking kills' and is aimed at persuading and helping smokers to give up and non-smokers, particularly children not to start.
	A number of different measures are in place to evaluate the effectiveness of the Don't Give Up Giving Up advertising campaign. These include prevalence surveys, quarterly tracking research, monitoring calls to the national health service smoking helpline, evaluation of media coverage and helpline referrals to local services.
	Headline results from the latest tracking study among 1,275 smokerswhich took place in February 2003are as follows:
	59 per cent. spontaneous awareness of advertising campaign;
	93 per cent. prompted awareness;
	49 per cent. of smokers taking action as result of seeing adverts; and
	51 per cent. of smokers more likely to give up as a result of seeing the advertising.
	The monitoring of calls to the NHS smoking helpline show that, from June 2000 to 2 September 2003, over 759,000 smokers called the NHS smoking helpline. Over 22,400 of these calls can be attributed to the introduction this year of the new starker health warnings on cigarette packets, one of which gives the NHS helpline number.
	The Department is extending its campaign this year by informing people about the risks from second-hand smoke, the risk of less publicised diseases caused by smoking, and through funding charities, starting with Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation, to run hard hitting campaigns.

Smoking

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on further steps which he intends to take to combat smoking and tobacco use.

Melanie Johnson: We are implementing a comprehensive tobacco programme to help the seven in 10 smokers who want to quit and to prevent people starting to smoke. As well as introducing legislation, we are investing 138 million in national health service 'Stop Smoking' services over the next three years and expanding our information and education campaigns to address second-hand smoke as well as cessation.
	We are working with key charities, including the British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research UK, and are providing 15 million over three years to carry out hard-hitting media campaigns.

Smoking

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Government has to legislate to prevent tobacco companies placing features with their logos in magazines.

Melanie Johnson: The Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002 prohibits the publishing of an advertisement which has the purpose or effect of promoting a tobacco product in the United Kingdom.lt would be for a court to decide in each case whether a magazine feature which included a tobacco company logo constituted a tobacco advertisement.

Smoking

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department plans to do to educate the public further into the health risks associated with smoking.

Melanie Johnson: The Department is expanding its public information campaign to highlight the dangers of smoking and tobacco smoke through a wider range of media. This includes highlighting diseases caused by smoking not covered in the campaign so far. Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation will also be launching campaigns funded by the Department.
	The new warnings on cigarette packs have made a significant impact already in getting health messages to smokers. These will be legally required on all packs from 30 September 2003 and on non-cigarette tobacco products such as cigars from 30 September 2004.

Smoking

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many smoking cessation co-ordinators there are in the NHS; and what the target is for the number of co-ordinators in 200405.

Melanie Johnson: 109 smoking cessation co-ordinators (whole time equivalent) were in post at 31 March 2002 and 66 staff were responsible for co-ordinating services for pregnant women. Shifting the balance of power from central to local decision making means that primary care trusts now have responsibility in negotiating with their respective strategic health authorities for co-ordinator posts. Targets are not set for numbers of co-ordinators.

Smoking

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans there are to extend the use of Zyban (a) on prescription-only and (b) over the counter.

Melanie Johnson: No application to extend the use or change the legal status of Zyban has been made to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

Smoking

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much it costs per smoker for the NHS to assist someone to give up smoking.

Melanie Johnson: Data collected from the NHS stop smoking services and published in the Department's Statistical BulletinStatistics on smoking cessation services in England, April 2001 to March 2002, tables 8  9show the average cost for the national health service to assist someone to give up smoking in 200102 was around 210 (based on self report). Costs including nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) or bupropion (Zyban) are not centrally collected.
	The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance on the use of NRT and bupropion for smoking cessation, published in March 2002, estimated the cost of life year gained for a smoker using either NRT or bupropion in addition to brief advice would be not more than 1,000. NICE guidance advised that both NRT and bupropion were considered to be among the most cost effective of all healthcare interventions.

Smoking

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to limit by legislation the amount of freebase nicotine in tobacco products.

Melanie Johnson: Levels of nicotine are currently regulated by the Tobacco Products (Manufacture, Presentation and Sale) (Safety) Regulations 2002. As of 1 January 2004, the maximum permitted yield of nicotine in cigarettes will be one milligram. This is measured in accordance with the International Standards Organisation's methodology. The Regulations implement a European Directive which is due to be reviewed in 2004 in the light of any updated scientific evidence.
	However, experimental work for the Department in 200001 has indicated that the current International Standards Organisation's methodology used for determining tar and nicotine yields of cigarettes traps over 99 per cent. of nicotine present in cigarette smoke of major brands on the United Kingdom market. Therefore at that time there was no evidence that freebase nicotine posed a problem in UK cigarette brands.

Smoking

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Government have to restrict the amount of (a) ammonia and (b) urea in cigarettes.

Melanie Johnson: Ammonium compounds and urea are currently permitted in United Kingdom cigarettes under the terms of a voluntary agreement concluded in 1997. The European Commission is expected to propose a common list of permitted ingredients in tobacco products by the end of 2004. We will consider the status of all permitted additives to tobacco products in the light of this proposal.

Smoking

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to recommend a ban on smoking in (a) domestic television programmes and (b) films classified as 15 or under.

Estelle Morris: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government have no plans to ban the depiction of smoking in domestic television programmes or films classified as 15 or under. Tobacco products may not be actively promoted by way of sponsorship or product placement in either medium. Beyond that, the depiction of smoking in television programmes is already discouraged and otherwise responsibly regulated by the broadcasting regulatory authorities. Film classification is the responsibility of the British Board of Film Classification whose research into public views on classification has not indicated that the portrayal of smoking is a concern.

Smoking

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many smoking cessation project co-ordinators have been appointed in each primary care trust.

Melanie Johnson: The information is not available centrally in the form requested. One hundred and nine smoking cessation co-ordinators (whole time equivalent) were in post at 31 March 2002 and 66 staff were responsible for co-ordinating services for pregnant women.

Smoking

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received regarding the television advertisement anti-smoking campaign showing children inhaling smoke.

Melanie Johnson: The Department has received four letters making representations regarding this television advertisement.
	The advertisement, which uses special effects to represent children exhaling smoke, focuses on the risk to children and reminds people to protect children by not making them breathe cigarette smoke.
	Unlike adults, young children do not have any choice about whether or not they are exposed to tobacco smoke. In the UK today, it is estimated that 42 per cent. of childrenTowards Smoke-Free Public Places, British Medical Association publication (November 2002)live in a house where at least one person smokes, and approximately one third of smokers continue to smoke near children: over 4 million people.

Social Services

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will break down the figure published in paragraph 2.76 of the Chief Inspector of Social Services 12th Annual Report showing for each staff/professional group how many additional whole time equivalent people will need to join the work force; and what the timetable is for this increase.

Stephen Ladyman: The Government do not hold information that shows the breakdown for each staff/professional group. Increases in different parts of the workforce will be dependent upon service design and skill mix, a process that will be focused on user need and carried out by the individual employers. For similar reasons the timetable for increases will vary by employer and service user group, and according to availability of development funding. The national recruitment campaign is planned to continue to 2006.

Sport and Physical Activity Board

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the membership of the Sport and Physical Activity Board; what its terms of reference are; and what projects it is working on.

Melanie Johnson: The activity co-ordination team (ACT), formerly the sports and physical activity board, is jointly chaired by my right hon. the Minister of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Mr Caborn) and myself. The membership is drawn from officials from the following Government Departments and other organisations:
	Department of Health;
	Department for Culture, Media and Sport;
	Department for Education and Skills;
	Treasury;
	The Prime Minister's Office;
	Department for Transport;
	Home Office;
	Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs;
	Department for Work and Pensions;
	Office of the Deputy Prime Minister;
	Health Development Agency;
	New Opportunities Fund;
	Sport England; and
	Local Government Association.
	The terms of reference for the ACT are:
	to make recommendations to Ministers on interventions to raise mass participation in sport and physical activity, particularly among economically disadvantaged groups, school leavers, women and older people;
	to deploy existing funding (for example, local exercise action pilots, sport action zones, new opportunities for physical exercise and sport and new opportunities fund/Sport England partnership fund) and to identify new sources of funding for interventions where there is existing robust evidence of their cost-effectiveness, pilot projects where there is potential to increase participation where the evidence is not yet in place;
	to identify and co-ordinate existing work and to classify it as delivery elements of the strategy reporting to and steered by ACT, or as autonomous programmes feeding information into and being informed by ACT as appropriate;
	to ensure effective evaluation of the strategy and communication of results from existing and new national, local and regional projects to inform policy and practice;
	to make recommendations to Ministers on a methodology to secure better evidence and data on participation and fitness;
	to develop and oversee an effective communication strategy, in line with Ministers' wishes and agreed as widely as possible both within Government and with outside bodies such as health charities, Sport England, the national health service, the business community and others; and
	to ensure that the programme of work includes quick wins and easily implemented low-cost interventions as well as longer-term solutions.
	ACTs work centres on the development of a delivery plan by April 2004, to implement the key recommendation in 'Game Plan':
	to increase significantly levels of physical activity and sport particularly among disadvantaged groups.

Staff Expenses

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost was of (a) staff excess travel and (b) removal expenses in the NHS in the last year for which figures are available.

John Hutton: Information on staff excess travel and removal expenses is not identified separately in the annual financial returns of national health service employers.

Stomach Stapling

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many stomach stapling operations took place in England, broken down by region, in each year between 1995 and 2002;
	(2)  what percentage of stomach stapling operations failed due to the patient overeating after the operation in the last 12 months.

John Hutton: The Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) database provides data on the number of surgical operations and procedures carried out in the National Health Service. Data on stomach stapling are collected under the code for partitioning of stomach. This code includes a number of procedures, and no further breakdown is available to identify stomach stapling procedures separately.
	HES data do not record information on the number of failed stomach stapling operations due to patients overeating.

Stroke Care

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the general hospitals caring for people with a stroke which do not have a specialist stroke unit.

Stephen Ladyman: We do not routinely collect the information requested. The most comprehensive source of information is the national sentinel stroke audit, carried out by the Royal College of Physicians. The audit was commissioned by the national health service in 1998 and was last updated in 2002. The results can be found at http://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/pubs/strokeaudit0102.pdf. The 2002 audit shows that 73 per cent. of trusts who participated had a stroke unit compared to 56 per cent. three years earlier. The audit shows that 80 per cent. of trusts that participated have a consultant physician with specialist knowledge of stroke who is formally recognised as having principal responsibility for stroke services. While it is recognised that some services need to increase their capacity, the audit notes that very significant improvements have already been made.
	Our major vehicle for further improving standards for stroke services is through the older people's national service framework which sets specific milestones for improvement by 2004 of stroke services in primary care trusts, specialist services and general hospitals that care for people suffering from a stroke. Our document, Improvement, Expansion and Reform, which sets for the national health service a priorities and planning framework for 200306, makes clear that implementation of the older people's national service framework is a top priority, and that the 2004 milestone around specialist stroke services is a key target.
	We monitor progress against the key milestones in the national service framework. From the information gathered so far we know that 83 per cent., of the hospitals who have replied, .now have plans to have a specialist stroke service in place by April 2004.

Stroke Care

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many stroke patients are treated in specialist stroke units; and how many he estimates will be treated in such units by April 2004;
	(2)  how many of the anticipated specialist stroke units in place by April 2004 he estimates will be (a) acute, (b) rehabilitation and (c) both acute and rehabilitation; and what percentage each will represent of the total;
	(3)  what progress is being made in introducing stroke registers in GP practices; and what percentage of GP practices he estimates will have a fully operational and resourced register by April 2004.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 18 September 2003
	We do not routinely collect information on stroke services at the level of detail requested in these questions. The most comprehensive source of information on stroke is the national sentinel stroke audit, carried out; by the Royal College of Physicians. The audit was commissioned by the National Health Service in 1998 and was last updated in 2002. The results can be found at http://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/pubs/strokeaudit0102.pdf. There will be a further update of these figures next year.
	The 2002 audit shows that 73 per cent., of trusts who participated had a stroke unit, compared to 56 per cent. three years earlier. In addition, 83 per cent. of patients receive brain imagingthe highest ever level. The audit shows that 80 per cent. of trusts that participated have a consultant physician with specialist knowledge of stroke who is formally recognised as having principal responsibility for stroke services. While it is recognised that some services need to increase their capacity, the audit notes that very significant improvements have already been made.
	The quality framework of the new contract for general practitioners includes an indicator on the practice having a register of stroke patients. However, as the quality framework is voluntary, not all practices may choose to work towards this, although we expect many will do so. The first formal measurement of achievement against this indicator will be March 2005, and practices will be working to develop their stroke registers over the next 18 months.

Stroke Care

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the most recent occupancy levels for each specialist stroke unit; and what age restrictions are placed on admission at each stroke unit.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Tobacco Advertising

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations the Government have made to (a) the Belgian Government and (b) the European Commission regarding the Belgian Government's postponement of a complete ban on tobacco advertising.

Melanie Johnson: The Government have not made representations to either the Belgian Government or the European Commission regarding the Belgian Government's postponement of a complete ban on tobacco advertising.

UK Biobank

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1) how much funding the Government has put into the creation of the UK Biobank; who the other funders are; and how much they have put in;
	(2)  what the terms of reference are for the United Kingdom Biobank; and for how long the Government intends to fund the United Kingdom Biobank;
	(3)  when the independent oversight body for the United Kingdom Biobank will be set up; and who will sit on the body.

Stephen Ladyman: The UK Biobank is a partnership between the Medical Research Council (MRC), the Department of Health and the Wellcome Trust. Initially, the Department will contribute 5 million and the MRC and the Wellcome Trust will each contribute up to 28 million, making a total of 61 million, of which 33 million is from government sources. In addition the Scottish Executive has offered to contribute 0.5 million to the project.
	The UK Biobank is being established as a limited company with charitable status. The memorandum and articles of association have been substantially agreed by the funders and are being reviewed by the Charity Commission. The UK Biobank is a long term project and it is envisaged that information on the health of the participants will be collected for at least ten years after recruitment in order to ensure the UK Biobank reaches its full potential as a research resource. Initial funding is for the piloting and recruitment phases (approximately seven years), but the funders recognise that additional funding (at a lower level) will be required for the follow-up phase.
	The independent oversight body is now termed the Ethics and Governance Council on the recommendation of the interim advisory group that has developed the draft ethics and governance framework for the UK Biobank. The framework will be published for consultation later this month and will be discussed at the meeting of the Human Genetics Commission on 25 September 2003. Responses to the consultation will inform the exact timescale for the creation of the council and its composition, but the funders want to establish this body as soon as possible.

Vaccines

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the levels of health risk associated with the use of (a) mercury free and (b) mercury based preservatives in vaccines for children.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 30 June 2003
	The vaccines used in the childhood immunisation programme have been thoroughly assessed for safety prior to being licensed. As with all medicinal products, vaccine safety is continually monitored by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the independent expert advisory Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM).
	No vaccine or medicinal product is without potential side effects and these are clearly listed in the product information that is available to health professionals and patients. The CSM has reviewed the safety of vaccines containing the preservative thiomersal (which contains ethyl mercury) on a number of occasions. In 2001, the CSM conducted a major review of the available evidence and has considered new data as it has come to light in 2003. A statement was placed on the MHRA website at http://medicines.mhra.gov.uk in February 2003, summarising the latest evidence on this issue.
	The advice of the CSM remains that, with the exception of possible hypersensitivity reactions (that typically include skin rashes or local swelling at the site of injection), there is no evidence of harm from thiomersal contained in vaccines and that the benefits of immunisation with thiomersal-containing vaccines outweigh any potential risks of vaccination. This view concurs with that of the World Health Organisation.

Waiting Times

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time was for patients admitted to Southend General Hospital Accident and Emergency Department to see a doctor in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000, (e) 2001 and (f) 2002.

Stephen Ladyman: Information on average waiting times in accident and emergency departments is not collected centrally.

Waiting Times

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time was for patients admitted to Southend General Hospital Accident and Emergency Department to be admitted to a ward in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested for the period from 200102 to the present is shown in the table. Prior to 200102, data were collected at health authority level.
	
		Admission from Accident and Emergency Departments, Southend Hospital NHS Trust, 200102 to 200304
		
			Number of patients admitted through Patients placed in bed ina ward within 2 hours ofa decision to admit Patients placed in bed ina ward within 2 to4 hours of a decision toadmit Patients not placed in bedin a ward within 4 hoursof a decision to admit 
			  Qtr Name major AE Number % Number % Number % 
		
		
			  
			  
			 200304 1 Southend Hospital NHS Trust 3,674 891 24.3 2,783 75.7 0 0.0 
			 200203 4 Southend Health Care NHS Trust 3,549 1,189 33.5 2,357 66.4 3 0.1 
			 200203 3 Southend Health Care NHS Trust 2,784 380 13.6 2,395 86.0 9 0.3 
			 200203 2 Southend Health Care NHS Trust 2,609 577 22.1 2,031 77.8 1 0.0 
			 200203 1 Southend Health Care NHS Trust 2,431 1,386 57.0 1,044 42.9 1 0.0 
			   
			 200102 4 Southend Health Care NHS Trust 2,441 984 40.3 1,454 59.6 3 0.1 
			 200102 3 Southend Health Care NHS Trust 2,561 1221 47.7 1,334 52.1 6 0.2 
			 200102 2 Southend Health Care NHS Trust 2,428 1068 44.0 1,350 55.6 10 0.4 
			 200102 1 Southend Health Care NHS Trust 4,192 4,186 99.9 0 0.0 6 0.1 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health dataset QMAE/AMGN

Weight Reduction Operations

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many surgeons performed weight reduction operations in the last 12 months;
	(2)  if he will state for each hospital trust whether it has established a database to monitor surgery undertaken to aid weight loss for patients;
	(3)  how many children in the last year have undergone surgery to aid weight reduction.

John Hutton: holding answer 8 September 2003
	The data collected by Hospital Episode Statistics do not identify individual surgeons, so it is not possible to confirm how many surgeons performed these operations.
	The Department does not collect centrally information on whether trusts have developed databases to monitor surgery undertaken to aid weight loss. The decision on whether surgery is the most appropriate option for children to aid weight reduction is for clinical judgement. Hospital Episode Statistics data show that in 200102 there were 16 Finished Consultant Episodes for children aged between 017 years of age with a primary diagnosis of obesity and which included a main operative procedure.

Whistleblowers

Colin Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 4 February 2003, Official Report, column 230W, on whistleblowers, who in the Department is responsible for examining such cases.

John Hutton: holding answer 15 September 2003
	The Department's policy is that, wherever possible, concerns raised by staff should be dealt with locally in accordance with local policies and procedures on whistleblowing, so that problems can be addressed quickly. However, there have been cases where whistleblowers have considered the local response inadequate, and as a consequence have sought to raise their concerns with the Department. Such cases are examined by the relevant strategic health authorities at the request of the human resources directorate of the Department.
	An updated policy pack to support organisations in developing and/or reviewing their whistleblowing policies and procedures was sent by the director of human resources to all National Health Service trusts and health authorities on 25 July 2003. A copy has been placed in the Library.

Whistleblowers

Colin Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 12 May 2003, Official Report, column 234W, on whistleblowers, what steps he has taken in response to the Prime Minister's letter of 23 October 2002 concerning Mark Heyes.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 15 September 2003
	Officials have looked into the matters which Mr. Heyes raised in his letter to my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister. These were considered to be a reiteration of previous issues, which have already been investigated by the Southport and Ormskirk Hospitals National Health Service Trust.
	The Department of Health cannot intervene in individual NHS trust employment issues and Mr. Heyes has been advised to seek independent legal advice.

Young People (Medication)

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many persons aged 18 years and younger are receiving (a) antidepressants, (b) antipsychotics and (c) amphetamines.

Stephen Ladyman: Information on the numbers of children and young aged 18 and younger receiving antidepressants, antipsychotics and amphetamines is not collected. However an estimate is available on the number of prescriptions dispensed for young people in England aged under 15 and those under 19 in full-time education. This information is in the table.
	
		Estimated number of prescription items (Thousand) of antidepressants, antipsychotics and amphetamines dispensed in the community in England in 2002 for children under 15 and those under 19 in full-time education(114)
		
			  Number of prescription items (Thousand) 
		
		
			 Antipsychotics 50 
			 Antidepressants 260 
			 Amphetamines(115) 240 
		
	
	(114) This does not include private prescriptions or prescriptions dispensed in hospitals, for which information is not available.
	(115) This is all central nervous system stimulants, as defined by the British National Formulary, which includes amphetamines and related drugs such as methylphenidate.

X-ray Scans

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dual energy x-ray absorptiometry scans per 100,000 population were carried out in (a) Birmingham, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England in the last year for which figures are available.

Melanie Johnson: We do not collect the information requested centrally.

Ward Housekeepers

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many ward housekeepers are employed in each NHS trust.

Stephen Ladyman: As of January 2003, around 5,000 housekeepers were reported as providing housekeeping services within 200 national health service trusts and primary care trusts.
	The number of housekeepers per trust is varied and reflects local needs and systems.

Xenotransplantation

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to appoint new members to the UK Xenotransplantation Interim Regulatory Authority.

Rosie Winterton: We are currently in the process of appointing two new Members to the United Kingdom Xenotransplantation Interim Regulatory Authority. A further recruitment exercise will take place in early 2004.
	A press release will be issued in due course.